CN117676954A

CN117676954A - Lighting system for controlling color temperature as a function of brightness

Info

Publication number: CN117676954A
Application number: CN202311748593.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: N·苏驰; H·C·郝; R·弗兰克; J·E·里维斯; R·M·波考克
Original assignee: Lutron Electronics Co Inc
Current assignee: Lutron Electronics Co Inc
Priority date: 2016-09-14
Filing date: 2017-08-07
Publication date: 2024-03-08
Also published as: CN109952812A; EP3513626A4; MX2019002950A; EP4080339A1; EP3513626B1; CN109952812B; CA3036808A1; WO2018052572A1; CA3151347A1; CA3036808C; CN114531764A; CN117676955A; EP3513626A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lighting system for controlling the color temperature as a function of luminance. A lighting system and method are provided for easily drawing multiple scenes along a dimming curve to form a natural display for one or more groups of LED lighting devices. The drawing can be performed using a graphical user interface on a remote control that is wirelessly linked to the lighting device. The keypad is preferably configured for button control of changes in color temperature as a function of brightness along each of the respective dimming curves for each of the respective groups of lighting devices controlled by the corresponding keypad to allow for temporary or permanent overrides and reprogramming of the natural display. The modification to the scene further includes modifications to the scene before and after the current modified scene to provide a smooth dimming curve modification.

Description

Lighting system for controlling color temperature as a function of brightness

The present application is a divisional application 202210118160.0 of the application having PCT application No. PCT/US2017/045742, international application No. 2017, 8, 7, and chinese application No. 201780066069.6, entitled "lighting system for controlling color temperature as a function of luminance", entering the national stage in month 4, 25 of 2019.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lighting device comprising Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and a keypad that can selectively control the area, scene and display illumination among the LED lighting devices arranged among the structures based on changes in Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) as a function of different dimming curves and brightness.

Background

The following description and examples are provided merely as background and are intended to disclose information that may be believed to be relevant to the present invention. Any such information below is not necessarily intended or should be construed as constituting prior art to the patentable features that influence the subject matter claimed herein.

Lighting devices (sometimes referred to as lighting fixtures, luminaires, or lamps) include incandescent lighting devices, fluorescent lighting devices, and increasingly popular LED lighting devices. LED lighting devices offer a number of advantages over conventional lighting devices such as incandescent and fluorescent lamps. LED lighting devices have lower power consumption, longer lifetime, are composed of minimally hazardous materials, and can be color tuned for different applications. For example, LED lighting devices provide opportunities to adjust chromaticity from red to blue, to green, etc., or to adjust a correlated color temperature (alternatively, simply referred to as "color temperature") from warm white to cool white, etc.

LED lighting devices may combine multiple different colored light emitting LEDs into a single package. Examples of multicolor LED lighting devices are devices in which two or more LEDs of different chromaticity are combined within the same package to produce white or near-white light. There are many different types of white LED lighting devices on the market, some of which combine red, green and blue (RGB) LEDs, red, green, blue and yellow (RGBY) LEDs, phosphor converted White and Red (WR) LEDs, RGBW LEDs, etc. By combining different chromaticities of LEDs within the same package and driving LEDs coated with or made of different semiconductor materials and having different colors of different driving currents, these lighting devices can mix their chromaticity outputs and thereby generate white or near white light within a broad color gamut CCT (color temperature) ranging from warm white (e.g., 2600K-3700K) to neutral white (e.g., 3700K-5000K) to cool white (e.g., 5000K-6000K) or daylight (e.g., 6000K-8300K). Some multi-color LED lighting devices also enable the brightness of the LED lighting device to be changed to a particular set point. When set to a specific luminance and chromaticity on a standardized chromaticity diagram, these tunable LED lighting devices should all produce the same color and Color Rendering Index (CRI).

The chromaticity diagram depicts the color gamut that can be perceived by the human eye in terms of chromaticity coordinates and spectral wavelengths. The spectral wavelengths of all saturated colors are distributed around the edges of a contour space (known as the "gamut" of human vision) that encompasses all hues perceived by the human eye. In the 1931CIE chromaticity diagram shown in FIG. 1, the human visual color gamut 10Is plotted with respect to x/y chromaticity coordinates. The chromaticity coordinates or color points along the blackbody locus or blackbody curve 12 follow the Planck equation, E (λ) =aλ ^-5 /(e ^(B/T) -1). Color points located on or near the blackbody curve 12 provide a range of white or near-white light having a color temperature ranging between approximately 2000K and 10000K. These color temperatures are typically achieved by mixing light from two or more different colored LEDs within an LED luminaire. For example, the light emitted from the RGB LEDs may be mixed to produce substantially white light having a color temperature in the range of about 2300K to about 6000K. While the lighting devices are generally configured to produce a range of white or near-white color temperatures (e.g., about 2300K to 6000K) arranged along the blackbody curve 12, some lighting devices may be configured to produce any color within a color gamut triangle formed by individual LEDs.

At least a portion of the blackbody curve 12 is often referred to as the "daytime locus" corresponding to the Kelvin scale of the color temperature of the daytime. In realizing the daytime trajectory, it is desirable to simulate the color temperature in the daytime. Proper daytime simulation requires that the target color temperature increases after sunrise to local time noon and thereafter decreases after noon to sunset. It is also desirable that the LED lighting devices arranged in the various regions in the overall structure may thereafter appear to have the same target color temperature as the naturally changing color temperature of the sun orientation of the structure. If more than one region needs to be simulated, one or more regions may be grouped into a scene. Thus, as one or more areas, a scene is constituted by illumination output from the LED illumination device groups arranged in the entire structure. It is desirable that the LED lighting devices within either an area or one or more areas of a scene have the same lighting output at a particular time. Thus, a scene containing a plurality of LED lighting devices desirably has the same brightness and color temperature at a particular moment in time, and is thus static for that particular scene. By its nature, a scene is static in terms of illumination output (color temperature and brightness) over a period of time. Changing from one static scene to another to form a different illumination output among a plurality of illumination devices within one or more areas forms a so-called display (show). Other LED lighting devices, which may have different brightness and/or color temperature, may be present within another scene in the overall structure. For example, a lighting device within a first scene may have a first brightness and/or color temperature, and a lighting device within a second scene may have a second brightness and/or color temperature. The first scene may be a first illumination output from among a first group of illumination devices, and the second scene may be a second illumination output from among the same group of illumination devices or from a different group of illumination devices.

It would be desirable to control each scene in the overall structure with a keypad. Buttons on the keypad may be dedicated to changing the brightness and/or color temperature of the grouped scenes of the LED lighting device. By possibly pressing a single button, the brightness and/or color temperature of the grouped plurality of lighting devices forming the scene may be changed from the first static lighting output to the second static lighting output until such time as the button is pressed again for further lighting output changes.

It would also be desirable to automatically change the static lighting output of the grouped scenes of the LED lighting devices at different times of the day. The change may occur by pressing a button on the keypad at a different time of day to change from one static output to another, or may occur automatically at predefined periodic intervals without any user intervention. An automatic periodic change of the illumination output of a grouped scene of the LED lighting device to another illumination output of the grouped scene forms a display. It would be desirable to plot different luminance and/or color temperature outputs from grouped scenes of an LED luminaire over a dimming curve and to use buttons on a keypad to periodically change at least a portion of the dimming curve. When the dimming curve changes from, for example, a first dimming curve to a second dimming curve, the grouped scenes of the LED lighting device may change from one display along the first dimming curve to another display along the second dimming curve.

Although the term "scene" refers to at least one region comprising a plurality of LED lighting devices, the following scene also refers to the lighting output from said at least one region, and the output comprises the brightness and color temperature from said at least one region at a specific point in time, and extends over a period of time until another scene with a different lighting output is produced. Thus, a series of scenes along the dimming curve (each scene may have different brightness and color temperature values) includes dynamically changing scenes that form a display. Thus, the scene represents not only one or more regions, but also static luminance and color temperature output from the regions that form a display when automatically changed throughout the day.

It is desirable that the target color temperature required to simulate the natural change of the orientation of the sun to the structure containing the LED lighting device varies not only as a function of brightness but also as a function of time of day. The change of the color temperature as a function of the brightness and the time of day forms a different dimming curve, wherein the LED lighting device may for example produce 2300K-2700K at simulated sunrise, which simulates mainly red with some yellow sunrise sky, 5000K-6500K at midday, which simulates mainly blue midday sky, and again with 2300K-2700K, which simulates mainly red sunset sky, similar to the difference between warm white, daytime/cool white and back warm white.

Thus, there is a need for: grouping LED luminaires within one or more regions of the structure to form a scene, and statically changing the illumination output of the LED luminaires of the grouped scene of the luminaires from one scene illumination output to another (i.e., from a first luminance and/or a first color temperature of a first scene of the grouped scene of the LED luminaires to a second luminance and/or a second color temperature of a second scene of the same grouped scene of the LED luminaires). It is also desirable to form a series of scenes along the dimming curves (which have different luminances and/or color temperatures despite the same plurality of LED lighting devices within the scene) to dynamically change the luminance and color temperature lighting output along the dimming curves to create new dimming curves, and to draw a series of scene color temperatures and luminance values for each dimming curve. Scenes may be assigned to specific times of the day along a given dimming curve, with other scenes having different color temperatures and brightness values assigned to other times of the day. There is also a need for: each scene with the plotted color temperature and brightness values is assigned to a different time of day to form a display. If the rendering is performed such that the color temperature simulates a daytime trajectory, the desired display becomes a natural display that will automatically change the color temperature output of the LED lighting device within the scene at a particular time of day and throughout the day, among a series of scenes, along the dimming curve associated with the daytime trajectory. There is also a need for: the change in color temperature output from the region or scene is controlled and the natural display is controlled using one or more buttons on a single keypad (such as a global keypad) by temporarily, permanently or permanently changing the natural display among the scenes at various times of the day in a smooth and non-disjoint manner.

Disclosure of Invention

A lighting system and method for controlling color temperature as a function of brightness is provided. The main characteristics of the LED lighting device may be the color temperature and the brightness output therefrom. Various forms of white are required throughout the day to create a natural display along the dimming curve. The natural display (in particular the color temperature as a function of luminance) can be varied to simulate the position of the sun versus the structure and more particularly to simulate the natural sunlight conditions of the outside daytime and nighttime. The override or change to the natural display may be temporary, permanent or permanent.

One mechanism to achieve color temperature control as a function of brightness is through the use of a keypad communicatively linked to a plurality of LED lighting devices arranged around the structure. The plurality of lighting devices may be grouped into one or more regions within the structure, and the one or more regions may be grouped to form a scene. According to one embodiment, a single keypad may control one or more areas of a lighting device that is wired or wirelessly coupled to the keypad. The keypad may similarly control the color temperature or brightness values associated with each region. Similarly, the keypad may also control the scene of one or more areas of the lighting device. The area or scene may be controlled by pressing a button on the keypad to statically change the brightness or color temperature from one state to another. The change may remain until the button is pressed again. Thus, each time a button is pressed, the area or scene may be statically controlled until the button is pressed again.

The area or scene may be statically controlled at a specific time of day. As a series of scenes with the same plurality of LED lighting devices but with different brightness and color temperatures are drawn along the dimming curve to form a display, one or more of the scenes (and in particular the brightness and color temperature of the grouped scenes of the lighting devices) may change the color temperature as a function of brightness and time of day. Automatic and periodic changes to the static lighting output of the same group of lighting devices may form multiple scenes with different outputs along the dimming curve. If used to simulate daytime lighting conditions, the plotted dimming curve will produce an increased color temperature of the same plurality of lighting devices arranged within the scene, and is hereinafter referred to as a series of scenes with increased color temperature: scene a is the first scene of the lighting device at a relatively low color temperature, scene B added to the first scene of the lighting device at a relatively high color temperature, scene B further added to the first scene of the lighting device at an even higher color temperature, and so on. Although scene a, scene B, scene C, etc. are the same scene in terms of the group of LED luminaires being controlled, the color temperature as a function of the brightness of the group changes throughout the day in order to form different scenes, as the color temperature can still change within the same scene or group of luminaires. Thus, a scene may represent not only the same area or areas (i.e. a group of luminaires), but also the lighting output of the group of luminaires as a color temperature related to the brightness and at different times of the day to form a dimming curve having a sequence of scenes despite from the same group of luminaires.

According to one embodiment, for example, a sunrise lighting scene may be a scene that produces a color temperature for simulating a sunrise condition at a specific time of day (such as one hour after sunrise). On the other hand, a sunset scene may be a scene of possibly the same group of lighting devices but with a color temperature output for simulating sunset conditions and thus being specific for example to the first hour of sunset.

A keypad disposed within the structure is communicatively coupled to the plurality of LED lighting devices, and the keypad preferably includes a plurality of buttons disposed on the keypad. The first plurality of buttons may be coupled to adjust the brightness of the plurality of lighting devices within only the first area, and the second plurality of buttons may be coupled to adjust the brightness of the plurality of lighting devices within the lighting scene. The lighting scene may comprise a first region and is preferably a static lighting output of luminance and color temperature. The static output may be adjusted in either color temperature or brightness or both. As mentioned above, the static but modifiable color temperature and/or brightness value output from a particular lighting scene may be changed according to the activation of one or more buttons on the keypad. Also, a series of scenes with different but all static lighting outputs may be dynamically changed by concatenating together during daytime and nighttime times and drawing the concatenated together scenes into a dimming curve to form a display. If the color temperature along the dimming curve is aimed at simulating external daytime illumination by the sun or without the sun at night, the dimming curve drawn forms a natural display. The third plurality of buttons may be coupled to enable natural display by automatically and periodically changing a color temperature as a function of the brightness of the plurality of LED lighting devices within the lighting scene at a plurality of different times of the day.

According to another embodiment, the first plurality of buttons further comprises a first button pair. The first button of the first button pair is coupled to turn on and increase the brightness of the plurality of LED lighting devices within only the first area. The second button of the first button pair is coupled to turn off and reduce the brightness of the plurality of lighting devices only in the first area. The second plurality of buttons may also include a second pair of buttons. The first button of the second pair of buttons is coupled to turn on and increase the brightness of a plurality of lighting devices within the lighting scene. The second button of the second button pair is coupled to turn off and reduce the brightness of the plurality of lighting devices within the lighting scene.

According to a further embodiment, the fourth plurality of buttons further comprises a fourth button pair. The first button of the fourth button pair is coupled to turn on and increase the color temperature of the plurality of LED lighting devices within the lighting scene. The second button of the fourth button pair is coupled to turn off and reduce the color temperature of the plurality of LED lighting devices within the lighting scene. The fifth plurality of buttons further includes a fifth button pair. The first button of the fifth button pair is coupled to turn on and increase the brightness of the plurality of LED lighting devices in only the second area. The second button of the fifth button pair is coupled to turn off and reduce the brightness of the plurality of LED lighting devices in only the second area.

In addition to the LED lighting device and the keypad, the lighting system may also include a remote control with a Graphical User Interface (GUI). For example, the first plurality of LED lighting devices and the second plurality of LED lighting devices assigned to the keypad are programmed using a remote control, and in particular a GUI of the remote control. The GUI presented on the screen of the remote control is remotely but wirelessly coupled to the first and second pluralities of lighting devices and the keypad. On the GUI, the user may assign a first plurality of lighting devices to a first area and a second plurality of lighting devices to a second area. On the GUI, it is also possible to create multiple scenes, each of which may have unique brightness and color temperature. Each of the plurality of scenes may be created to control a color temperature as a function of brightness and time of day for the first plurality of lighting devices and the second plurality of lighting devices. Also, on the GUI, the timing sequences of the scenes may be grouped from among a plurality of scenes to form a natural display. The natural display extends along a first dimming curve having a highest color temperature substantially near a midpoint in time between sunrise and sunset.

By pressing a first plurality of buttons on a first portion of the keypad and a fifth plurality of buttons on a second portion of the keypad, respectively, the brightness may be changed among a first plurality of lighting devices in a first area and among a second plurality of lighting devices in a second area. The natural display may also be changed to a second dimming curve having a lower brightness than the first dimming curve throughout the timing sequence of the scene at a color temperature among the first plurality of lighting devices and the second plurality of lighting devices that varies differently from the first dimming curve and the second dimming curve.

According to one embodiment, the natural display may be permanently changed to follow the second dimming curve by pressing a second plurality of buttons on the first portion and thereafter pressing a third plurality of buttons on the first portion for a predetermined amount of time, changing the brightness among the first plurality of lighting devices and the second plurality of lighting devices for at least one scene in the time series of scenes. By pressing the second plurality of buttons on the first portion and automatically changing the brightness among the first plurality of lighting devices and the second plurality of lighting devices back to the first dimming curve after the timeout has expired without user intervention, the brightness among the first plurality of lighting devices and the second plurality of lighting devices is changed for at least one scene among the timing sequence of scenes, whereby the natural display may be permanently changed for the timeout period.

During the time series of scenes, the natural display may also be changed to follow a second dimming curve having a lower brightness and a lower color temperature than the first dimming curve among the first plurality of lighting devices and the second plurality of lighting devices. And the amount of the lower color temperature depends on the time of day as a function of the amount of the lower brightness. Then, by pressing the second plurality of buttons on the first portion and pressing the fourth plurality of buttons on the first portion, respectively, and thereafter pressing the third plurality of buttons on the first portion for a predetermined amount of time, the brightness or color temperature among the first plurality of lighting devices and the second plurality of lighting devices is changed for at least one scene among the timing sequence of scenes, whereby the natural display can be permanently changed along the second dimming curve. By pressing a second plurality of buttons on the first portion, the brightness and color temperature among the first plurality of lighting devices and the second plurality of lighting devices are changed for at least one scene among the timing sequence of scenes, whereby the natural display can also be changed permanently. After the timeout has expired, the brightness and color temperature among the first plurality of lighting devices and the second plurality of lighting devices may be automatically changed back to the first dimming curve without user intervention.

According to a further embodiment, the lighting system may be implemented using a global keypad. Groups of LED lighting devices may be arranged among respective multiple areas in the overall structure. A single global keypad for controlling all LED lighting devices in the structure is communicatively coupled to the groups of lighting devices and may include a plurality of buttons arranged on the global keypad. At least one of the plurality of buttons may enable the emergency display to automatically, periodically, sequentially turn on and off selected ones of the plurality of groups of lighting devices.

In addition to, or instead of, automatically, periodically switching on and off groups of lighting devices in succession, the global keypad may also enable emergency display to change the color of selected groups of lighting devices in the groups of lighting devices when an intruder is detected within the structure or within a predefined distance of the structure. The color of the change may be, for example, white to red to indicate the presence of an intruder.

Thus, a single global keypad may be implemented in the method for illuminating the structure. The method may include emitting light from groups of LED lighting devices within and near the structure. A button may be pressed on a single global keypad to activate the away mode of operation. Upon detection of an intruder within the structure or within a predefined distance of the structure, an emergency display is initiated among selected ones of the groups of lighting devices. For example, the light emitted prior to emergency display may be a natural display that automatically and periodically changes the color temperature as a function of the brightness at different times of the day. When an intruder is detected, the natural display is interrupted and a periodic on/off illumination or color changing emergency display will be initiated.

By drawing various natural displays among multiple lighting scenes, important aspects of controlling the various scenes begin. A series of lighting scenes, each having a different color temperature as a function of brightness and time of day, form a continuous dimming curve from sunrise to sunset and even beyond sunset to night. According to one embodiment, it is beneficial to draw a plurality of natural displays or a plurality of dimming curves, each having a plurality of lighting scenes, and each scene on each dimming curve having a unique color temperature as a function of brightness that is different from the other scenes on the dimming curve. Therefore, the color temperature of all lighting devices is designed to vary with brightness and time of day. However, the amount of change depends on the color temperature at full brightness. The changing color temperature at full brightness may follow the first dimming curve and as the brightness decreases, a second dimming curve is formed, followed by a third dimming curve. As the brightness decreases, the subsequent dimming curves (second dimming curve, third dimming curve, etc.) illustrate that when the plurality of lighting devices associated with the scene produce 2700K at full brightness, the same plurality of LED lighting devices will produce a significantly lower color temperature at lower brightness values. Meanwhile, a plurality of lighting devices generating 5000K at full brightness generate only slightly lower color temperatures at lower brightness values. Thus, the dimming curve (and in particular the change of the color temperature) is not only a function of the full brightness but also a function of the general brightness. The color temperature is also related to the time of day, so each dimming curve at different brightness values, at full brightness and below will have a different plotted shape.

During the rendering or supplying process, the color temperature rendering at full brightness is fixed to form, for example, a first dimming curve, and the color temperature rendering at lower brightness values to form a second dimming curve, a third dimming curve, and the like. The drawing or feeding process occurs via the GUI, followed by storing the resulting dimming curves in a plurality of LED lighting devices. Thereafter, when a control signal addressed to a particular group of luminaires is sent, for example, from a button pressed on a keypad, the drawn dimming curve may be retrieved or fetched from the luminaires.

According to a first embodiment, a system for creating a naturally displayed dimming curve rendering among a plurality of lighting scenes is provided. The system includes a remote control having a GUI adapted to create a first scene and a second scene of a plurality of lighting scenes that are specifically applied to a first group of the plurality of LED lighting devices. The GUI is further adapted to assign the first color temperature as a first function of the brightness of the first group of the plurality of lighting devices to form a first scene at a first time of day. The GUI is further adapted to assign a second color temperature as a first function of the brightness of the first group of the plurality of lighting devices to form a second scene at a second time of day different from the first time of day. The storage medium within the first group of the plurality of lighting devices is configured to store the first color temperature and the second color temperature as a first function of the brightness of the respective first scene and second scene to form at least a portion of a first dimming curve rendering of the first natural display.

The immediately preceding process may be repeated on the GUI to create a third scene and a fourth scene among the plurality of lighting scenes, wherein the third color temperature and the fourth color temperature are assigned as a second function of the brightness of the first group of the plurality of lighting devices. The subsequent third scene and fourth scene may be stored within the storage medium as a second function of brightness to form at least a portion of a second dimming curve rendering of a second natural display.

After the rendering of the first and second dimming curves is achieved, the first natural display associated with the first dimming curve may thereafter be at least partially changed to a second natural display associated with the second dimming curve. The method of changing from the first dimming curve to the second dimming curve is preferably smooth and non-disjoint. To achieve a smooth and non-disjoint change, the method comprises first retrieving a first dimming curve comprising a first series of scenes assigned to at least one group of LED lighting devices, each of the first series of scenes comprising a color temperature as a first function of luminance. The first series of scenes is then assigned a distance that is spaced apart over the course of the day to form a first natural display associated with a first dimming curve of color temperature that increases from sunrise to noon and decreases from noon to sunset. The brightness or color temperature of one of the first series of scenes at a particular time of day between sunrise and sunset may then be changed. If the changed brightness results in a color temperature of one of the first series of scenes within a predefined distance of a point on the second dimming curve, a second fetching operation is effected on at least a remaining portion of the second dimming curve of the second series comprising N scenes before the changed scene and N scenes after the changed scene.

Preferably, the point on the second dimming curve is the color temperature of the scene on the second dimming curve at a specific time of day. The predefined distance is preferably 10% of the color temperature of the scene on the second dimming curve at a specific time of day. The predefined distance is preferably less than 65K. Each of the second series of N scenes preceding the changed scene and each of the N scenes following the changed scene includes a color temperature as a second function of brightness. Preferably, the second function of luminance is different from the first function of luminance, and N is less than three.

According to an alternative embodiment, if the changed brightness or color temperature of one of the first series of scenes is within a predefined color temperature or brightness of a scene on the second dimming curve at a particular time of day, the second fetch is at least a portion of a second dimming curve of the second series comprising N scenes before the changed scene and N scenes after the changed scene to provide a smooth and non-disjoint second natural display.

Drawings

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a graph of a 1931CIE chromaticity diagram illustrating the blackbody curve of color perception or color temperature, and the gamut of spectral wavelengths that can be achieved by a lighting device comprising a plurality of LEDs of different colors;

FIG. 2 is a graph of the change in brightness over time of day;

FIG. 3 is a graph of different dimming curves representing different relationships of color temperature as a function of changes in brightness shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a graph of the change in brightness over time of day;

FIG. 5 is a graph of different dimming curves representing different relationships of color temperature as a function of change in brightness shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a graph of changes in daytime color temperature as a function of changes in luminance values and time of day to simulate natural daytime lighting displays and associated different possible dimming curves representing different natural displays;

FIG. 7 is a table showing the relationship between a first luminance value and three different color temperatures among three different scenes during a natural display simulated along the first dimming curve of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a table showing the relationship between a second luminance value, which is less than the first luminance value, and three different color temperatures among three different scenes during a natural display simulated along the second dimming curve of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary block diagram of a lighting device including a power converter, a clock circuit, a drive circuit, a controller with a storage medium, and a plurality of differently colored LED chains;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary plan view of a habitable structure containing a plurality of lighting devices grouped into zones, wherein one or more zones are grouped into scenes that can be similarly controlled in both brightness and color temperature;

FIG. 11 is an exemplary GUI provided on the remote control of FIG. 9 illustrating grouping physical lighting devices into zones, and virtual lighting devices shown on the GUI as being capable of being dragged and dropped into corresponding zones;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary GUI provided on the remote control of FIG. 9 illustrating assigning an area to a keypad such that buttons of the keypad may control physical lighting devices grouped into an area assigned to the keypad;

FIG. 13 is an exemplary GUI provided on the remote control of FIG. 9 illustrating creation of a scene or series of scenes corresponding to one or more areas and which may change over time to form a natural display having a color temperature as a function of both brightness and time of day;

FIG. 14 is an exemplary GUI provided on the remote control of FIG. 9 illustrating assignment of created scenes and natural displays to keypads within a structure;

FIG. 15 is a plan view of buttons on a keypad, and the assignment of area, scene, and natural display controls to the buttons of the keypad;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating the generation of different dimming curves throughout the day at different times of the day to produce a natural display of changing color temperature as a function of brightness, which may be stored in a storage medium of lighting devices grouped into one or more areas or scenes;

fig. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the following procedure: programming a preset scene brightness value, increasing the brightness of an area in the scene to the preset scene brightness value, and reducing the brightness of the lighting device in the scene, the brightness of the area in the scene, or increasing/decreasing the color temperature of the lighting device in the scene;

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating initiating a natural display among an area or scene and temporarily, permanently or permanently modifying the natural display;

FIG. 19 is a flow chart of varying the brightness and/or temperature among the first N scenes and the subsequent N scenes to provide smoothing of any modifications to the brightness and/or color temperature of the current scene of the lighting device;

FIG. 20 is a graph of previous N and subsequent N changes to luminance and/or color temperature among a scene of a lighting device to provide a smooth change in luminance and/or color temperature to a permanently changed current scene;

while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed Description

Turning now to the drawings, fig. 2 illustrates the change in brightness throughout the daytime. For example, the full brightness (BR 1) represents a near maximum lumen value that may be output from one or more LED lighting devices. The maximum brightness may be established by either the manufacturer or the user, and thus may be any value that may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer or from user to user. Also shown in the graph of fig. 2 is the change from maximum brightness BR1 to reduced brightness BR2, which also extends throughout the daytime and possibly to the nighttime. The reduction of the brightness may be carried out by activating a button or a slider on e.g. a keypad. The keypad will be communicatively coupled to the group of LED lighting devices affected by the keypad, and in particular the change in the brightness value may be proportional to the amount of time the button is pressed or the distance the slider is moved. However, in some cases, the relationship between the luminance output from the lighting device relative to actuation of the button or slider is non-linear. For example, depending on the button or slider, the initial movement of the button/slider may result in a small impact on the output brightness, and as actuation further occurs, the brightness increases or decreases non-linearly with respect to actuation.

Fig. 3 illustrates another graph of different dimming curves representing different relationships of color temperature as a function of the change in luminance shown in fig. 2. At full luminance BR1, a first dimming curve (dimming curve 1) is generated. In particular, the dimming curve 1 represents that the changing color temperature depends not only on the full luminance BR1 value, but also on the time of day. In order to simulate the position of the sun relative to the structure and the path length between the sun and the structure containing a plurality of LED lighting devices, the color temperature must be changed throughout the day to simulate the natural solar conditions created by the relative position of the sun. During sunrise and shortly thereafter, the color temperature is much lower than in the midday of the local time. The same is true of sunset. The lower color temperature simulates the redder or yellow sunrise and sunset color coordinates of the warm white color temperature, while the blue color coordinates predominate in the blue sky in the midday. The blue sky in the middle of the day is closer to a more natural or daytime white than the incandescent warm white associated with sunrise and sunset. The first dimming curve has a color temperature that peaks around the midday and decreases at times of the day before and after the midday.

When the luminance is reduced to, for example, BR2 (as shown in fig. 2), a second dimming curve (dimming curve 2) shown in a dotted line is formed. As with dimming curve 1, dimming curve 2 is illustrated in fig. 3 as simulating natural sunlight conditions around a structure. Therefore, the dimming curve 2 also has a color temperature that peaks around midday and decreases around sunrise and sunset.

As shown in fig. 3, the color temperature of all LED lighting devices varies with brightness. However, the amount of change in the color temperature depends on the color temperature at the full luminance BR 1. If natural sunlight simulation is to be achieved, the color temperature also depends on the relative time of day. As shown in fig. 3, an LED luminaire producing 2300K to 2700K at sunrise or sunset time of day at full brightness (BR 1) will produce a significantly lower color temperature at lower brightness (BR 2). However, an LED lighting device producing e.g. 5000K to 6500K at full brightness (BR 1) at midday time of day will produce only a slightly lower color temperature at lower brightness (BR 2). The difference may be explained with reference to a difference in color temperature at 5000K-6500K, for example, as shown by reference numeral 14, with respect to a color temperature at 2300K-2700K, as shown by reference numeral 16.

Fig. 3 illustrates not only different dimming curves formed with a change in luminance, but also each dimming curve having a correspondingly different relationship between color temperature and luminance. For example, the dimming curve 2 demonstrates that the change in color temperature as a function of the reduced luminance BR2 is greater than the change in color temperature along the dimming curve 1 at the full luminance BR 1. As will be described in more detail below, each dimming curve represents a timed sequence of scenes, where each scene has its own color temperature as a function of brightness at a particular time of day. As different scenes accumulate along the dimming curve throughout the day, a natural display is formed. However, the natural display along dimming curve 1 may be quite different from the natural display along dimming curve 2, where each dimming curve has its own relationship between changes in color temperature as a function of brightness. Each dimming curve and the associated scene along each dimming curve has a unique color temperature relationship with luminance that is preferably different from the other dimming curves, so that multiple dimming curves that can be plotted demonstrate different changes in the color temperature associated with luminance. In order to simulate natural sunlight conditions when forming a natural display, it is necessary to draw a plurality of dimming curves such that if the natural display changes, at least a portion of the drawn dimming curves may be fetched from the local memory to thereafter present the changed natural display among each LED lighting device undergoing the change. The drawing of multiple dimming curves is also required for each group of lighting devices in the structure.

Fig. 4 and 5 are similar to fig. 2 and 3. However, fig. 4 illustrates that although the relative change in luminance is the same throughout the day, the absolute luminance values in both BR1 and BR2 vary throughout the day. Based on the similar relative differences between BR1 and BR2 of fig. 4, fig. 5 indicates that the resulting LED lighting device produces approximately the same difference in color temperature between dimming curve 1 and dimming curve 2, whether the color temperature is 2300K-2700K or 5000K-6500K. The similarity is shown by reference numerals 18 and 20 in fig. 5.

Whether the brightness changes throughout the day are similar in absolute terms as in fig. 2 or in relative terms as in fig. 4, the graphs in fig. 3 and 5 respectively illustrate that the color temperature of the controlled LED luminaire group changes differently over the whole day with brightness changes-either absolute or relative. Moreover, fig. 3 and 5 illustrate that multiple dimming curves must be drawn so that when a change is made to the natural display, an appropriate change can be found in the previously drawn dimming curves, and that with minimal user perception of the change, smoothing of the transition to the new natural display can occur both before and after the change to the particular scene.

Referring to fig. 6, two dimming curves, dimming curve 1 and dimming curve 2, are shown at the daytime time between sunrise and sunset. It is understood and also preferred that there are more than two dimming curves that can be plotted, and that during a 24 hour period, the daytime time may extend to the nighttime time for more than two dimming curves. However, for simplicity, fig. 6 shows only two dimming curves indicating the change in color temperature during the day as a function of the change in brightness over the whole day to simulate a natural daytime lighting display with associated different possible dimming curves representing different natural displays. To simulate daylight conditions, the color temperature during the local noon may be 5000K or higher, while the color temperature from sunrise to one hour after sunrise may be 2700K or lower, for example. The same applies to sunset from one hour before sunset, where the color temperature is 2700K or less. Of course, the color temperature may be varied one hour after more sunrise and one hour before less sunset to produce a smooth dimming curve preferably at the sum of the multiple scenes at the associated time between sunrise and noon and between noon and sunset. The smooth dimming curve may also extend before sunrise and after sunset to include nighttime if desired, where the nighttime color temperature is at or near zero kelvin.

Shown in fig. 6 and 7 is a sequence of temporally separated scenes of each dimming curve. For example, scene a represents the brightness and color temperatures BR1 and CCTA (color temperature a) along dimming curve 1, shown in fig. 7. Scene a along dimming curve 1 is also shown in fig. 6. As mentioned above, a scene represents a group of one or more regions of an LED lighting device having a static lighting output of color temperature and brightness at a particular moment in time. As time progresses along dimming curve 1 from scene a to scene B of the same plurality of LED lighting devices, the color temperature is shown to decrease to CCTB, although the brightness may be maintained at full brightness or BR1, for example. Meanwhile, as the display proceeds to the scene C along the dimming curve 1, the full brightness BR1 is maintained, and the color temperature is further reduced to CCTC, as shown in fig. 6 and 7.

The purpose of drawing a plurality of dimming curves to a local storage device within one or more groups of LED lighting devices is illustrated in the comparison between fig. 7 and 8, as shown in the graph of fig. 6. If a different natural display is to be selected from, for example, dimming curve 2 instead of dimming curve 1, the brightness may be reduced, as shown by BR2, which is smaller than BR1, at locations A, B and C along dimming curve 2. However, the decrease in luminance from BR1 to BR2 relative to dimming curve 1 produces an increasing decrease in color temperature from scene a to scene B to scene C along dimming curve 2. This is shown in fig. 8, where the CCTA along dimming curve 2 is slightly less than the CCTA along dimming curve 1, however the CCTB along dimming curve 2 is less than the CCTB along dimming curve 1, and the CCTC along dimming curve 2 is even less than the CCTC along dimming curve 1. The amount of further decrease in color temperature with respect to an equal decrease in luminance from BR1 to BR2 is less important than indicating that the change in color temperature among the scenes along dimming curve 2 is greater than the change in color temperature along dimming curve 1. Thus, this effect is represented as the amount of color temperature change that exists in LED illumination, which is a change that occurs differently with a change in brightness. Therefore, the color temperature change in one whole day depends not only on the color temperature at full luminance but also on the amount of luminance change from full luminance BR1 to lower luminance BR2, wherein the change in the neighborhood of sunrise and sunset is larger than during the midday regardless of the amount of luminance change.

Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an LED lighting device 24 according to one embodiment of the invention. The LED lighting device 24 provides one example of hardware and software that may be used to implement a method of dynamically and automatically simulating natural sunlight and thereafter manually overriding the simulation when one or more lighting tasks are required. Moreover, the LED lighting device 24 may be among a plurality of LED lighting devices within an area or areas constituting a scene.

The LED lighting device 24 includes a plurality of emitting LEDs 26, and in this example includes any number of four chains of LEDs connected in series. Each chain 28 may have two to four LEDs of the same color coupled in series and configured to receive the same drive current. In one example, the emitting LEDs 26 may include a chain of red LEDs, a chain of green LEDs, a chain of blue LEDs, and a chain of white or yellow LEDs. However, the preferred embodiments are not limited to any particular number of LED chains, any particular number of LEDs within each chain, or any particular color or combination of LED colors. In some embodiments, the emitting LED26 may be mounted on a substrate and packaged within the primary optics structure of the emitter module, possibly along with one or more photodetectors.

In addition to the emitting LEDs 26 configured as a set of chains 28, the lighting device 24 also includes various hardware and software components for powering the LEDs 26 and controlling the light output from one or more emitter modules. In the embodiment shown in fig. 9, the LED lighting device 24 is connected to an AC mains 42 and includes a circuit for supplying an AC mains voltage(e.g., 120V or 240V) to DC voltage (V) _DC ) An AC/DC converter 44 of (c). A DC voltage (e.g., 15V) is supplied to the LED driver circuit 46 to generate a drive current that is supplied to the emitting LED26 to generate illumination. In the embodiment of fig. 9, a DC/DC converter 48 is included for converting the DC voltage (V _DC ) To a lower voltage VL (e.g., 3.3V) that is used to power lower voltage circuitry of the lighting device 24, such as a Phase Locked Loop (PLL) 50, interface 52, and control circuitry or controller 54. In other embodiments, the lighting device 24 may be powered by a DC voltage source (e.g., a battery) instead of the AC mains 42. In such embodiments, the lighting device may be coupled to a DC voltage source and may or may not include a DC/DC converter in place of AC/DC converter 44. Additional timing circuitry may be required to provide timing and synchronization signals to the control drive circuitry.

In the illustrated embodiment, a PLL 50 is included within the lighting device 24 for providing timing and synchronization signals. PLL 50 may lock to the AC mains frequency and may generate a high speed Clock (CLK) signal and a synchronization Signal (SYNC). The CLK signal provides timing signals to the controller 54 and the LED driver circuit 46. In one example, the CLK signal frequency is in the range of tens of MHz (e.g., 23 MHz) and is synchronized to the AC mains frequency and phase. The controller 54 uses the SYNC signal to create a timing signal for controlling the LED driver circuit 46. In one example, the SYNC signal frequency is proportional to the AC mains frequency and may be phase aligned with the AC mains at a frequency of 50MHz or 60 MHz.

In a preferred embodiment, an interface 52 may be included within the lighting device 24 for receiving data sets or content from an external calibration tool. The calibration tool is preferably a remote control 53 which performs the drawing function of the various dimming curves contained in the data sets or content stored in the lighting device 24 during the provisioning or commissioning (commissioning) of the LED lighting device 24. For example, the data sets or content generated by the interface 52 or received via the interface 52 may be stored in a mapping table within the storage medium 56 of the controller 54. Examples of data sets or content that may be received via interface 52 include, but are not limited to, various luminous fluxes of light emitted by each LED chain (i.e., luminance values associated with intensity), wavelengths, chromaticity, and various color temperatures along certain dimming curves as a function of luminance, as described in more detail below, and associations into areas or scenes of a plurality of LED lighting devices arranged within a structure. The drawing information may be assigned by a GUI on the remote control 53, where each drawn dimming curve has multiple scenes, and each scene has a unique color temperature along the dimming curve as a function of brightness. One or more of the plurality of dimming curves, the scene associated with each dimming curve, and the grouping and structure of the lighting devices within the area (the scene) also occur through user input via the GUI, with the storage medium 56 containing the plotted results and the identifiers of the respective lighting devices within the area or scene.

The keypad 55 is coupled to the interface 52 by wire or wirelessly. The keypad 55 comprises a plurality of buttons for controlling the lighting device 24. However, the control by the keypad 55 is performed via the supply, debug, and drawing functions performed by the remote controller 53 (and specifically, the GUI of the remote controller 53) based on the data set stored in the storage medium 56. The keypad 55 (and in particular the buttons on the keypad 55) allows the user to actuate and enable various natural displays stored in the storage medium 56 for various dimming curves and resulting drawn data sets. The keypad 55 may also be used to override the natural display, and the override may be either temporary or permanent. The keypad 55 may also be used to permanently change the natural display such that after the change, the changed natural display will remain. Thereafter, and at a different time of day, a different scene than that present in the previous display will then appear. The keypad 55 not only allows for either temporary, permanent or permanent changes to the display, but may also change static settings, such as a single scene among one or more areas within the structure. One or more buttons on the keypad 55 may thus change the color temperature setting or the brightness setting among the scenes or areas.

As will be mentioned in more detail below, the various buttons on the keypad 55 send control signals to the interface 52, and those control signals implement different functions based on the data sets stored in the control medium 56 of the plurality of LED lighting devices 24 being controlled in groups. Thus, interface 52 may comprise a wireless interface configured to operate according to ZigBee, wiFi, bluetooth, or any other proprietary or standard wireless data communication protocol. In other embodiments, interface 52 may communicate optically using Infrared (IR) light or visible light. Still further, interface 52 may include a wired interface, such as one or more wired conductors or buses to keypad 55. For example, if remote control 53 is part of keypad 55, interface 52 communicates via remote control 53 through a wired connection of keypad 55. However, it is preferable that the remote controller 53 is separate from the keypad 55 and used for the feeding or drawing process. The remote control 53 (if separate) is preferably wirelessly connected to the interface 52 using, for example, a ZigBee wireless data communication protocol. However, the keypad 55 may be either wirelessly coupled or wired to the interface 52. In a preferred embodiment, the keypad 55 is wired and wirelessly coupled to the interface 52, as the LED lighting device has a light detector that can receive control signals of the keypad 55 or can also receive control signals through a wired conductor.

Both the keypad 55 and the remote control 53 may include a timer, such as a real time clock. The timer may send a plurality of time of day signals to the controller 54 via the interface 52. For example, if the remote control 53 includes a physical keypad 55 or is separate from the physical keypad 55, either the remote control 53 or the physical keypad may have a real time clock. The real-time clock periodically transmits a time-of-day signal from among a plurality of time-of-day signals depending on the calendar day and the time-of-day. The time of day signal is unique to the local calendar day and time of day and is output by a timer to a plurality of LED lighting devices 24, each LED lighting device 24 having an interface 52 communicatively coupled to a remote control 53 and/or keypad 55.

In addition to the time of day signal sent from the remote control 53 and/or keypad 55, the LED lighting device 24 is also time synchronized from the PLL 50. The controller 54 receives the time of day signal and the SYNC signal and calculates and generates a value indicative of the desired drive current to be supplied to each LED chain 26 based on a plot of the color temperature stored in the medium 56 as a function of brightness and time of day. This information may be communicated from controller 54 to LED driver circuit 46 via a standard compliant serial bus (e.g., such as SPI or I2C). In addition, the controller 54 may provide a latch signal that instructs the LED driver circuit 46 to simultaneously change the drive current supply to each LED chain 26 to prevent brightness and color artifacts (artifacts).

Based on one or more systems and methods described in U.S. patent application serial No.14/314,530 published as U.S. publication No.2015/0382422A1 at 31, 12, 2016, 5, and U.S. patent application serial No.14/314,580 published as U.S. patent No.9,392,663 at 31, and U.S. patent application serial No.14/481,081 published as U.S. publication No.2016/0066384A1 at 3, the controller 54 may be configured to determine the respective drive currents required to achieve the desired luminous flux or brightness of the lighting device 24 (and in particular the LED chain 26 of the lighting device 24), which are commonly assigned (assigned) and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In a preferred embodiment, the controller 54 may also be configured to adjust the ratio of drive currents supplied to the emissive LED chains 26 and to all of the LED chains 26 simultaneously. Changing the ratio affects the change of the color temperature, and changing the chain similarly can change the brightness. For example, the controller 54 may also chain all chains, either similarly, or differently, so as not to exceed a maximum safe current level or a maximum safe power level from the one or more power converters of the LED lighting device 24 at a preset operating temperature determined by the temperature sensor.

In some embodiments, controller 54 may determine the corresponding drive current by executing program instructions stored in storage medium 56. In one embodiment, the storage medium 56 may be configured to store a table of program instructions and calibration values, such as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/314,451 published as U.S. publication No.2015/0377699A1 at 31 of 2015 and U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/471,057 published as U.S. patent No.9,392,660 at 12 of 2016, which are commonly assigned and incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, the storage medium 56 storing the necessary renderings and groupings of lighting devices among areas and scenes to derive the various dimming curves, and also storing brightness and color temperature value changes via the brightness and color temperature of the control signals sent thereto. Alternatively, the controller 54 may include combinational logic for determining the desired drive current, either as a ratio or similarly within the LED chain 26. The storage medium 56 need only be used to store a map of dimming curves and luminance/color temperature output values among each dimming curve in response to a control signal.

In general, the LED driver circuit 46 may include a number of driver blocks equal to the number of emitting LED chains 26 included within the LED lighting device 24. In one embodiment, the LED driver circuit 46 includes four driver blocks, each configured to produce illumination from a different chain 28 of emitting LEDs chains 26, as shown in fig. 9. Thus, each driver block may receive data from the controller 54 indicating the desired drive current, as well as a latch signal indicating when the driver block should change to the drive current in each respective LED chain 26. Examples of the various driver blocks required for each respective LED chain controlled by LED driver 46 are set forth in U.S. patent application serial No.13/970,990, which is commonly assigned and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The DC/DC converter 48 may include substantially any type of DC/DC power converter including, but not limited to, a buck converter, a boost converter, a buck-boost converter, a Cuk converter, a single-ended primary inductor converter, or a flyback (flyback) converter. The AC/DC converter 44 may likewise comprise substantially any type of AC/DC power converter including, but not limited to, a buck converter, a boost converter, a buck-boost converter, and the like. Each of these power converters generally includes a plurality of inductors (or transformers) for storing energy received from an input voltage source, a plurality of capacitors for supplying energy to a load, and a switch for controlling the transfer of energy between the input voltage source and the load. Depending on the type of power converter used, the output voltage supplied by the power converter to the load may be greater than or less than the input voltage source.

Among the various advantages of LED lighting devices, such as device 24 in fig. 9, LEDs provide a unique opportunity to blend artificial light with natural light and provide useful illumination through dynamic lighting mechanisms. One particular advantage (niche) of LED lighting devices is the generation of artificial sunlight for various reasons, in particular for the treatment of human diseases such as circadian rhythm disorders, seasonal pain disorders (seasonal affliction disorder), shift operating condition disorders (shift workcondition disorder), etc. The mechanism by which any conventional LED lighting device replicates or "simulates" natural sunlight conditions is through the use of a sensor. However, the sensor may detect a solar condition within the interior of the structure and create artificial lighting from the lighting device that attempts to replicate the natural solar condition or simulated sunlight outside the structure. Unfortunately, sensors have limitations both in technology and in the location where they are located. Therefore, the sensor does not always accurately detect external solar conditions, and sometimes cannot properly simulate outdoor natural solar conditions.

According to a preferred embodiment, an alternative mechanism to keep track of the time of day and to send time of day values from a timer within the remote control 53 and/or keypad 55 is preferred. If the diurnal display is to be adjusted differently depending on the room in which the sun is to be simulated, it proves to be advantageous to use a timer and a time of day value. The sensor cannot adjust the simulation depending on the room, but senses and provides the simulation uniformly throughout the structure depending on where the sensor is located. Thus, grouping lighting devices on a room-by-room basis and separately controlling each room using different keypads 55 with different associated timers having different time-of-day values within those keypads separately controlling each room is inherent to timers rather than sensors-e.g., no sensors are used to control the additional benefits of solar simulation in different bedrooms than in the kitchen.

Simulating natural sunlight conditions involves generating a natural display by using a timer that manipulates and updates the simulation of the grouped sets from the LED lighting devices based on calendar days and times of day, and this function is performed automatically and dynamically throughout the day. The automatic simulation occurs as a dynamically changing natural display that automatically continues without user intervention, and in particular continues to change the color temperature output as a function of brightness and in response to the lighting device receiving a time of day signal sent from the timer. In the event that the user does not actuate the trigger, automatic simulation and automatic change of color temperature as a function of brightness and time of day occurs, this function being reserved for manual override rather than automatic natural display.

Since the angular relationship between the sun and the structure comprising a plurality of lighting devices changes throughout the day, the corresponding natural display must also change. Importantly, the spectral distribution of sunlight (in particular the spectral radiation of sunlight) varies with the path length between the sun and the structure. Shorter wavelengths may be more sensitive and produce spectral radiation at shorter path lengths that is greater than longer wavelengths. In order to simulate a change in natural sunlight conditions within an artificial lighting system, such as the LED lighting system or device of the present invention, the LED lighting device must change its color temperature output throughout the day based on the changed path length.

Fig. 10 illustrates an example of a structure 60 containing a plurality of LED lighting devices 24. LED lighting devices 24 are sometimes interchangeably referred to as LED lamps, fixtures, or luminaires. A home may have multiple rooms, such as bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, etc. Preferably, each LED lighting device 24a comprises at least one LED, and more preferably several LED chains 28, wherein each chain may produce a corresponding color within the chromaticity region. The lighting device 24 may include a PAR lighting device shown as a down light (24 a), for example, in a living room, and other PAR lighting devices 24b, for example, a down light in a bedroom. The living room may have a plurality of lights, labeled 24a, and the bedroom may have a plurality of lights, labeled 24b. Beside a sofa, e.g. in a living room, is a table on which an illumination device 24c, e.g. a20, can be arranged.

Each lighting device 24 communicates with the remote control 53, keypad 55 and other lighting devices via the communication interface 52 using the communication protocol described above (e.g. ZigBee) and possibly using a WPAN of IEEE 802.15.4. Thus, the LED lighting devices 24 may communicate wirelessly with each other, as well as with the remote control 53 and the physical keypad 55. The keypad 55 controls the group of LED lighting devices. For example, a physical keypad 55a may be placed in the living room to control the group of lighting devices in the living room, while another keypad 55b may be placed in the bedroom to control the LED lighting devices in the bedroom.

The keypad within structure 60 and labeled 55 is generally referred to as a physical keypad. As will be mentioned later, the physical keypad may be represented by a virtual keypad icon shown on a GUI (such as the GUI of the remote control 53). Likewise, the physical lighting devices 24 within the structure 60 of fig. 10 may also be represented as virtual lighting device icons on a GUI, such as the remote control 53. The virtual lighting devices and keypads shown on the GUI may appear similar to the corresponding physical lighting devices and keypads, and may be used not only for grouping purposes, but also for supplying the functionality of each physical lighting device when the data set and control functionality is poured within the storage medium 56 of each LED lighting device within the group controlled by the physical keypad 55. In addition to the physical lighting devices 24 and keypad 55 being arranged in the overall structure, a global keypad 57 may be configured, for example, near a common area (such as an entrance to the structure) for globally controlling a plurality of areas and/or scenes in the overall structure, as will be described herein below.

Turning now to fig. 11, a GUI 65 may be presented on the display of the remote control 53. The GUI illustrates an example in which actual physical LED lighting devices arranged in the overall structure 60 shown in fig. 10 may be grouped based on their location and function. The mechanism for providing grouping and the functionality of the lighting device will be disclosed below when describing the grouping mechanism and the scene/display assignment mechanism. For example, a location (such as a bathroom) may have different groups of lighting devices 24, with each group being associated with an area. Moreover, one or more groups of physical LED lighting devices may also be grouped into a scene. For example, the simplest form of a scenario is a washroom (half bath) with two areas within structure 60. The first area may be associated with a vanity mirror of the washroom and the second area may be associated with a dome lamp of the washroom. The first and second regions may be combined to take into account the scene of all LED lighting devices in the bathroom.

Fig. 11 illustrates an embodiment in which after all of the physical lighting devices 24 and physical keypads 55 and 57 are installed in the structure, the physical lighting devices and keypads are found. The discovery process involves moving the remote controls 53 around the structure when the user instructs the remote controls 53 to discover all devices (lighting devices and keypads) in the entire structure on the GUI of the remote controls 53. The discovery process occurs through commands on the controller's GUI 65 and the dongle (dongle) of the remote control 53 then broadcasts a message that commands all lighting devices and keypads that receive the message either directly or through any number of hops (hops) to respond with their unique ID number (often referred to as a MAC address). The unique MAC address of each lighting device and keypad is sent back to the remote control 53. If the remote control 53 is a personal computer or a telephone with a screen, it will display a set of GUI icons on the screen, where each icon is associated with a corresponding physical lighting device or keypad. Also, the MAC address sent back to the remote controller identifies whether the discovered device is a lighting device or a keypad. Moreover, knowing where each MAC address is installed in the structure, the icons representing the virtual lighting devices and virtual keypads will correspond to their respective physical lighting devices and physical keypads that have been responded.

For example, as shown in fig. 11, in a facility having sixteen PAR lighting devices 24 in a room or in the entire structure, sixteen virtual lighting devices 39 or icons 39 will appear. The virtual keypad will also appear in a later step as an icon on a subsequent GUI. When a confirmation message is sent back from each physical lighting device 24 to the remote control 53, an indication is made that all lighting devices have been found. This will cause each LED lighting device to become a detectable color (such as blue) and each keypad that is also found will blink. Each discovered lighting device and keypad will appear as a virtual lighting device 39 and virtual keypad on the GUI. If not all LED luminaires become e.g. blue or physical keypad blinks, according to a user check by walking around the structure, not all acknowledgement messages have been returned and thus a lost acknowledgement message of a unique MAC address will indicate a non-blue LED luminaire or a not yet found keypad. Remedial action is then required, as described below. However, if all the lighting devices turn blue upon inspection and the physical keypad blinks, then the corresponding virtual lighting devices and keypad will appear on the GUI.

After all physical LED lighting devices 24 and physical keypads 55 and 57 have been found, the next step is grouping. In the grouping procedure, the physical lighting devices that need to be controlled together are assigned to specific group addresses. As shown in fig. 11, during the grouping mechanism, the group address is downloaded into the storage medium 56 of each lighting device within the group. Thus, during the control mechanism, a single button actuation of the physical keypad 55 will cause a control message to be sent from the keypad 55 to the address via a single multicast message, with all unique MAC addresses being associated with the unique group address. The multicast message will then initiate content associated with the addressed group of physical lighting devices 24 via the microprocessor fetch mechanism.

Different types of remote control 53 may be present. The remote control 53 may simply comprise a dongle with a USB interface and a radio plugged into a USB port of the mobile device. If the remote control 53 is to communicate through a hub or bridge, the remote control 53 communicates using a different protocol than the protocols by which the various lighting devices 24 communicate with each other and with the keypad 55 or 57. As will be mentioned herein below, the term "lighting device" or "LED lighting device" refers to a physical device, and whenever the term "virtual" is used, the term refers to an iconic representation of a physical lighting device or physical keypad on a GUI. The representations, icons, or virtual depictions on the GUI are not physical devices, but each virtual depiction, however, corresponds to a physical device.

During the discovery phase, a routing table is formed when a broadcast discovery signal is sent from the remote control 53 over the mesh network from hop to hop with corresponding acknowledgement returns. The broadcast discovery and acknowledgement returns forming the routing table do have a destination address and a next hop address for each LED luminaire. The routing table is stored in the storage medium of each LED luminaire 24 in the overall structure 60, and is described later as a group address and content associated with each group address. The group address and content comprise a multicast table. An example of a mechanism for forming a multicast table with data set content associated with a group of lighting devices, stored in a storage medium of each lighting device within the group, is set forth in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial No.15/041,166, which is commonly assigned and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The discovery process in which all LED luminaires and keypads in the entire structure are found and displayed on the corresponding GUI of the remote control is typically only performed once when the luminaires and keypads are installed in the structure. However, if the LED lighting device 24 or keypad 55 is replaced, the lighting device or keypad may have a different mapped address and thus the discovery process must be repeated at any time the lighting system is modified. The structure of the lighting system and thus the network of lighting devices and keypads is not predetermined by the installation of a wiring network similar to a wired network. Instead, it may be determined by a number of physical conditions, such as the distance between adjacent lighting devices, walls, or other devices between lighting devices 24, or shielding material, or even by electromagnetic interference by appliances or other devices within structure 60.

To calculate the network configuration, the broadcast is preferably triggered by the remote control 53. The broadcast message is transmitted by addressing the message to a predefined broadcast address, which all physical devices (LED lighting device 24 and keypads 55 and 57) listen to. For example, the broadcast signal may first be received by those devices that are close to the remote control 53. Those luminaires 24 may then forward the broadcast message to other luminaires, which further forward the message to even further luminaires via the above-described hopping mechanism. The acknowledgement return signal may be transmitted back as a unicast or direct message to the remote control 53 that sent the broadcast. Each lighting device 24 that sends such a unicast message must receive an acknowledgement to prevent such a lighting device from retransmitting the same message. Thus, a return acknowledgement is also sent back as a unicast message by the remote control 53 through the mesh network.

Broadcasting, receiving and acknowledge back and then sending acknowledgement is quite time consuming during the discovery process. However, since the discovery process does not occur frequently, and generally only during configuration of the lighting system during initial installation or replacement, a time consuming discovery process that takes many seconds is generally acceptable to users.

Returning to fig. 11, after the discovery process is complete and all LED luminaires 24 and keypads 55 have been found and represented on the GUI of remote 53, the grouping can then begin. At the left portion of the GUI 65 are icons representing any one of the areas and the keypad. When the zone icon is selected, as indicated, a series of zones Z1, Z2, etc. may appear as indicated by the numeral 68. The zone icon 68 is not named until the user provides a name, and may be simply labeled Z1, Z2, etc. at this stage, such as giving the zone icon 68 a default name. However, at some point, a zone name may be given, and using the very simple example described above, there may be only two zones associated with the bathroom, wherein the zones may be marked as a first bathroom vanity mirror and a first bathroom ceiling lamp.

As further shown in fig. 11, after the lighting devices 24 have been found and appear as virtual lighting devices 39 in the right portion of the GUI 65, one or more LED lighting devices 24 may be grouped by clicking on the corresponding virtual lighting devices 39 on the GUI, and the virtual lighting devices 39 may flash or change to a different color. The corresponding physical lighting device 24 associated with the clicked virtual lighting device may also change color or flash. In this way, the user will then know the correspondence between the virtual lighting device 39 and its associated physical lighting device 24 within the structure.

Using the simple example above, there may be two a20 illuminators in the vanity mirror and two PAR 38 illuminators in the dome lamp. The user may wish to control the two sets of LED lighting devices 24 independently so that the vanity mirror may illuminate separately from the overhead lights. Thus, when the remote control 53 is brought into a bathroom and four virtual lighting devices 39 appear on the GUI 65, the user may click on one of the virtual lighting devices and the corresponding light in, for example, a vanity mirror may flash. The user can then simply drag and drop a virtual lighting device 39 corresponding to one of the lights in the vanity mirror into zone 1 (Z1). The same operation is repeated for the remaining three lamps, with vanity mirror lamps grouped into zone 1 and dome lamps grouped into zone 2 (Z2). The benefit of being able to visually detect the flashing icon and its corresponding flashing physical lighting device 24 and then drag and drop the virtual lighting device into the appropriate area based on the location where the LED lighting device 24 resides within the structure is a key feature that is conveniently performed using the remote control 53. The drag and drop feature over a GUI with its user actuated touch screen may be implemented by simply downloading an application onto the mobile device that constitutes the remote control 53. The application may also allow the user to name individual areas on the GUI 65 to simply refer to which group of LED lighting devices is controlled by the keypad controlling the area.

Thus, assigning an area to a keypad is the next step and is illustrated in the GUI70 of fig. 12. For example, in a washroom scenario with two areas, keypad 55 may be present near the doorway of the bathroom. Configuration of a particular keypad begins by selecting the keypad icon 72 in the left portion of the GUI 70. The virtual keypad may be identified as a bathroom keypad, for example, if in a washroom scenario, the physical keypad 55 in the washroom begins to blink when a particular virtual keypad 74 among the plurality of keypads also blinks. Thus, the program is such that if the keypad 72 is identified by the user clicking on the keypad icon 72, then multiple keypads will appear in the middle portion of the GUI 70. If the user clicks on a keypad 74 from among the plurality of keypads and the selected virtual keypad 74 corresponds to, for example, the MAC address of the physical keypad in the washroom, the washroom physical keypad will blink, corresponding to the blinking of the particular virtual keypad 74 representing the washroom physical keypad 55. Instead of flashing, some other form of visual indication (such as a change in color) may be implemented, or possibly an audible signal that may be sent from the corresponding physical keypad 55. Whether the indication is visual or audible, a correspondence is detected between the virtual keypad 74 and the keypad within the structure.

If the keypad within the structure is a bathroom keypad 55 that is used to control two areas, the bathroom keypad 55 includes two parts. These two parts are shown as virtual keypad icons 74, which are the same as would occur in a physical keypad, with the first part being referred to as 74a and the second part being referred to as 74b. The first portion of the physical keypad is associated with a first leg of a duplex (gang) switch box and includes, for example, seven buttons, while the second portion 74b includes two buttons. As will be described below, using the simple example above, the first portion controls, among other things, the brightness of the area 1 associated with the vanity mirror, while the second portion 74b controls only the brightness of the second area associated with the vanity ceiling lamp. The GUI 70 of the remote control 53 shown in fig. 12 allows not only selection of a keypad but also assignment of an area in which a plurality of keypads are grouped to each selected keypad and a portion thereof. While the first portion is associated with a first linkage of the dual switch box, the second portion may be associated with a second linkage of the dual switch box. If the keypad is to control more than two areas, the corresponding switch box will be a multi-gang switch box, wherein each of the plurality of areas is assigned to a corresponding group, so that the areas can be controlled individually. As shown on GUI 70 of fig. 12, virtual keypad 76 may correspond to keypad 55 for controlling three areas that may be within a study (den) or living room of structure 60. The virtual keypad 78 may have an almost infinite number of multi-gang switch boxes to control a number of areas far in excess of three. In a simple example of a washroom having only two zones, a dual switch box for controlling only two zones individually is sufficient, and the virtual icon 74 represents only the keypad 55 in the washroom.

After the LED lighting devices are grouped into regions and the regions are assigned to corresponding portions of the identified keypad, scenes and displays may be created. As shown in fig. 13, GUI 80 presents a create scene/display icon 82. When the user clicks on icon 82, window 84 of GUI 80 appears. Within this window 84, one or more dimming curves may be created. Beginning with a first dimming curve, such as full brightness dimming curve 86, that creates a particular region or scene. In the example of fig. 12, regions 1 and 2 (and the combination thereof forming the scene) are assigned to the physical keypad corresponding to icon 74, and a set of content data of color temperature as a function of luminance starting at full luminance is plotted along a dimming curve 86 containing a plurality of scene illuminations (scene a, scene B, scene C, etc.). Thus, color temperature and luminance values at specific times of the day forming scene a are created only with respect to region 1 and region 2 of the washroom example. This process is repeated to produce another scene B at another point along the dimming curve 86. By simply pointing to the luminance/color temperature value at a particular time of day on the screen 84, there may then be several scenes formed along the dimming curve 86 throughout the day and night, and thus the remote forwards the corresponding scene to the corresponding group of luminaires to be stored as scene a, followed by scene B, and so on within the storage medium 56 of the entire group of the selected plurality of luminaires. For full brightness values, and when the color temperature assigned to the scene A, B, C, etc., increases to a peak value and thereafter decreases, the increased scene is placed to the peak value along the full brightness dimming curve 86, and thereafter the subsequent scene is placed in the decreasing portion of the dimming curve 86. Thus, each scene (scene a, scene B, scene C, etc.) that increases color temperature at full brightness forms a first dimming curve, e.g., from midday to the vertex of the dimming curve, to decrease color temperature from vertex down to evening time for the subsequent scene and possibly through night along the time axis shown in window 84. Thus, this process of drawing a scene along a dimming curve for a particular group of lighting devices and repeating the process to create other dimming curves for that group forms an entire drawing of the particular group of lighting devices 24 within the structure 60. The process is then repeated to create multiple scenes along multiple dimming curves for the remaining groups of luminaires 24 within structure 60.

For each region or group of regions (including the scene of the lighting device) in the overall structure, the color temperature as a function of the luminance and time of day is plotted along a plurality of dimming curves, such that the plot is a plot of a color temperature and luminance value table for each of the plurality of scenes, and for each of the plurality of dimming curves assigned to each region or scene arranged within the overall structure. Thus, a washroom example having two regions and a single scene of the two regions would have multiple scenes with corresponding color temperatures plotted as a function of brightness along multiple dimming curves. For other rooms of the entire structure, the drawing will continue. As mentioned above, a scene not only represents one or more areas of multiple lighting devices, but also represents the color temperature as a function of luminance at a particular time of day plotted along dimming curves forming a series of scenes separated in time of a natural display, where each natural display corresponds to a dimming curve, and the multiple dimming curves represent different natural display or single scene lighting device washroom examples that are available for dual areas.

Once a scene and display is created for all of the multiple LED luminaires in the structure, the rendered scene along the dimming curve (where multiple dimming curves may exist) forms multiple displays assigned numbers or addresses. For example, for each possible scene drawn along the respective dimming curves and for each dimming curve or display, an address may be assigned for the created scene and display attributable to the washroom for controlling the two areas. The number or address may then be selected in the GUI90 shown in fig. 14 by: clicking on icon 92, and thereafter displaying the addressed scene and the displayed numbers, drags and drops those addressed numbers to virtual keypad 74 corresponding to, for example, washroom physical keypad 55. Using the washroom scenario, the color temperature as a function of brightness for each scene and for a series of scenes along multiple dimming curves attributable to the washroom keypad is then stored in the lighting device addressable by the physical keypad 55 controlling area 1 and area 2. When the user presses a button on the washroom keypad 55, for example, various color temperatures, brightness values attributable to either region 1 or region 2, or both (a single scene of region 1 and region 2 lighting devices) may be invoked. The buttons send corresponding addressed control signals to the lighting device to invoke a static scene or a displayed series of dynamically and automatically changing scenes. Different natural displays represented by different addressable dimming curves may also be controllably addressed by selecting appropriate addressable control signals sent from the keypad 55 to a drawing table of different dimming curves within the lighting device addressable by the keypad 55. The content of the data set within the lighting device 24 that can be controlled by the address control signal sent from the keypad 55 is parameters required to invoke specific luminances and/or color temperatures for those corresponding groups of the lighting device either as specific scenes from among a plurality of different scenes or as natural displays from among a plurality of natural displays along a respective plurality of dimming curves.

Turning now to fig. 15, buttons on an exemplary keypad 55 are shown. While the buttons may be arranged and configured in a number of different ways, the exemplary keypad 55 illustrates one configuration for adjusting brightness, color temperature, and enabling and disabling the display of, for example, two-area multiple lighting devices. Continuing with this example, the keypad 55 shown in fig. 15 may include two portions, a first portion 94 (sub-keypad a) and a second portion 96 (sub-keypad B). The first portion 94 is associated with a first leg of the double switch box and the second portion 96 is associated with a second leg of the double switch box. Thus, the keypad 55 shown in the example of fig. 15 may be used in a washroom scenario for controlling the area of the lighting associated with the vanity mirror of the washroom that is separate from the area of the lighting associated with the down light in the washroom.

The exemplary keypad 55 of fig. 15 includes a first plurality of buttons, indicated generally by the reference numeral 100. The second plurality of buttons is shown as reference numeral 102, the third plurality of buttons is shown as reference numeral 103, and the fourth plurality of buttons is shown as reference numeral 104. More specifically, a first button (ON+) of the first button pair is coupled to turn ON and increase the brightness of the plurality of lighting devices within only the first region, and a second button (OFF-) of the first button pair is coupled to turn OFF and decrease the brightness of the plurality of lighting devices within only the first region. The first button (ALL ON+) of the second button pair is coupled to turn ON and increase the brightness of a plurality of lighting devices within a lighting scene including both the first region and the second region. The second button (ALL OFF-) of the second button pair is coupled to turn OFF and reduce the brightness of a plurality of lighting devices within the lighting scene. The first button (ccts+) of the fourth button pair is coupled to turn on and increase the color temperature of a plurality of lighting devices within the lighting scene. The second button (CCTS-) of the fourth button pair is coupled to turn off and reduce the color temperature of the plurality of lighting devices within the lighting scene. Thus, the first portion 94 of the keypad 55 is used to control the first area, as well as the first and second areas in a washroom scenario, for example, comprising two areas and a single lighting scene.

Thus, the first plurality of buttons, indicated as reference numeral 100, increases, decreases, turns on and off the brightness of only the first area, such as, for example, a light above a vanity mirror. However, the button 102 turns on and off and increases and decreases the illumination devices in both region 1 and region 2, and thus the brightness of the entire scene including the lights above the vanity mirror and the down light in the bathroom is labeled BRS. A fourth plurality of buttons, labeled 104, controls the color temperature, and thus the color temperature of the entire scene, by increasing or decreasing the color temperature in both regions, and are labeled ccts+ and CCTS-for increasing and decreasing the color temperature of the scene.

As mentioned above, in the context of a washroom that may be controlled by a duplex switch box, and in particular a keypad 55 having a first portion 94 for controlling a first duplex and a second portion 96 for controlling a second duplex, the second duplex is associated with a second area of the washroom. The first zone may be above the vanity mirror and the second zone or Z2 may be in a down light separate from the vanity mirror. Thus, Z1 may be associated with an area controlling a light above the vanity mirror, while Z2 may be associated with an area controlling a down light elsewhere in the washroom. The second portion 96 of the keypad 55 associated with the second pair of dual switch boxes includes a fifth plurality of buttons, indicated by reference numeral 105. The fifth plurality of buttons 105 is coupled to adjust the brightness of the plurality of lighting devices within only the second area and not the first area. The first button of the fifth button pair 105 is coupled to turn on and increase the brightness of the plurality of lighting devices within only the second zone, as mentioned by br+ for the second zone Z2. The second button of the fifth button pair 105 is coupled to turn off and decrease the brightness of the plurality of lighting devices within only the second zone and is labeled BR-of the second zone Z2.

The buttons on the keypad 55 may be programmed in many different ways and the specific procedure of the first to fifth plurality of buttons shown in fig. 15 is only one way. As mentioned above, the programming of the buttons may be performed similar to the creation and assignment of the lighting devices, groupings of keypads, and scenes and displays shown in fig. 11-14. In particular, the GUI may be present on a remote control 53, the remote control 53 having brightness control, temperature control, and brightness and temperature control, in particular for various areas and scenes in a portion of the GUI, and drag and drop those control features into specific buttons of a selected keypad. For example, the brightness and ON/OFF features for controlling brightness may exist as objects or icons over the GUI to allow the user to drag the brightness control and ON/OFF control of region 1 into corresponding buttons within the first button pair 100. The same may apply to assigning controls representing two areas of a scene, and in particular brightness control of the scene (brs+/-), and turning ON or off the entire scene (ALL on+/-) using icons associated with both areas and brightness increase and decrease control icons of the second button pair 102. The same applies to the fourth button pair 104 and the fifth button pair 105. Alternatively, buttons may be assigned using a GUI directly on the display screen on the keypad 55. The programming of the buttons of the various lighting devices within one or more regions of the control structure may be implemented in firmware in various ways, either using a GUI using software (such as software within an application program) or without using a GUI, and is generally well understood by those skilled in the art. Further, assigning controls to certain buttons to control the lighting output of certain lighting devices may employ different functions than the examples described above, all of which fall within the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. Moreover, the buttons may be programmed in a number of different ways depending on the number of areas, the number of linkages within the switch box, and the overall function of the keypad. Fig. 15 illustrates only one programming form specific to the two-region example. However, it is to be understood that the arrangement of the buttons and the control provided by pressing one or more buttons may be adapted to any LED lighting device lighting situation, provided that the buttons may individually control the brightness of an area or the brightness of all areas within a scene and the color temperature of the scene, with the ability to turn on, turn off, increase and decrease the brightness and color temperature among the individual areas and scenes within the structure.

A third plurality of buttons, labeled 103, are also shown in the example of the dual switch box in fig. 15. The third plurality of buttons may be a single button 103 coupled to implement a natural display that automatically and periodically changes color temperature as a function of brightness each time the color temperature and/or brightness changes to form a different scene. Automatically and periodically changing the color temperature of the natural display may occur at different times of the day. By pressing the button 103, the display may be enabled or disabled, and in particular, if enabled, will extend forward along a first dimming curve time, e.g. marked as dimming curve 1, wherein the color temperature increases towards midday and thereafter decreases. In the simple washroom example, the button 103 allows the color temperature as a function of brightness to be periodically and dynamically changed throughout the day along a preset and previously drawn dimming curve to increase the color temperature over the vanity mirror and separate down light to the noon and thereafter decrease. Button 103 controls the display of the illumination devices within Z1 and Z2.

Turning now to fig. 16, a flow chart illustrating the generation of different dimming curves throughout the day at different times of the day is shown. Different dimming curves may be applied to the same plurality of lighting devices to produce different natural displays of varying color temperature as a function of brightness. For example, the generation of dimming curves occurs using the GUI shown in fig. 13 when creating various scenes and aggregating those scenes along the dimming curves to create a natural display. Different dimming curves are created for the same plurality of lighting devices and the process set forth in the flowchart of fig. 16 may occur for other plurality of lighting devices. During the rendering or feeding of the lighting device, a plurality of dimming curves is created for each of several different groups of lighting devices. The rendering of the plurality of dimming curves for each of the plurality of groups of lighting devices forms an overall rendering function. For various groupings of lighting devices within each of those lighting device storage mediums 56, those plotted dimming curves are stored as multiple tables of luminance and color temperature values at various times of the day. When the real-time clock within the corresponding keypad 55 transmits a time of day value, if display is enabled, the brightness and/or color temperature values will change to the values addressed at the next time of day for the next rendered scene. If the display is not enabled, any plotted value of the scene may be manually formed by pressing a button on the keypad 55 and the scene will remain stationary and unchanged until another button is pressed on the keypad, or a timeout has occurred, or the display resumes.

The drawing and storing of the luminance and color temperature charts or tables in the storage medium starts with the time of day and timer timeout in setting the real time clock of the remote control 53 and various keypads 55 corresponding to the respective groups of lighting devices 106. Once the timer, which may be preset, times out after a set time of day, such as a fixed time 108 after sunrise, the brightness within the first group of lighting devices may be set to a maximum amount 110. For example, the maximum brightness may be selected from a manufacturer specification sheet. If a fixed time after sunrise has not occurred based on a timer timeout from the time of day value, the program set forth in FIG. 16 waits for the fixed time after sunrise. Starting with the timer timeout value after sunrise and for the maximum brightness that has been set, the color temperature is then also set at this maximum brightness amount and for a fixed time 112 after sunrise.

Once the maximum brightness is set and the color temperature is set for the first period after sunrise, the timer timeout 114 is checked again for the next timer timeout. Once the next timer timeout occurs, or the time of day signal is sent from the real time clock of the keypad after the first timeout has occurred, the brightness remains at a maximum but the color temperature increases 116. An increase in the color temperature occurs at each timing increment after sunrise when the timer expires and the recorded maximum brightness and step increase in the color temperature are recorded to form a first dimming curve or dimming curve 1.

A check is made to determine if the color temperature has reached a maximum amount and if not, as shown at decision block 120, the timer advances to the next timeout or time of day and the color temperature continues to increase and the corresponding maximum luminance value and increased color temperature along the first dimming curve is recorded or plotted in a table of first dimming curve values for maximum luminance and increased color temperature.

If the maximum color temperature has been reached, as indicated by decision block 120, then the next timer timeout 122 must be a timeout that produces a decrease 124 in color temperature, with a corresponding record 126 of the decrease in color temperature as a function of maximum brightness along the first dimming curve. Thus, the first dimming curve (dimming curve 1) indicates that the color temperature is increased for the maximum brightness at fixed time intervals until the maximum color temperature is reached, and indicates that the color temperature is periodically decreased for the maximum brightness thereafter. The increase in maximum brightness and the subsequent decrease in color temperature is plotted in a table stored in a storage medium of each lighting device in a group of lighting devices, the group being the first group of lighting devices. If a fixed time before sunrise has not occurred 128, then the process of finding the timer timeout continues until sunset occurs 130.

Thus, the time of day and timer timeout are reset 130 to again check if a fixed time after sunset has occurred 132. If a fixed time after sunrise has occurred, the brightness is reduced from the set maximum brightness value, as shown in block 134. Accordingly, the process is repeated, starting to increase the color temperature at a fixed time after sunrise until the maximum color temperature is reached, and thereafter decreasing the color temperature to a fixed time before sunset, even for the decreased brightness, to form a second dimming curve (dimming curve 2). Thus, a mapping table of luminance values and color temperatures between sunrise and sunset is stored in a storage medium of a first group of lighting devices, which contains a first mapping table of a first dimming curve, followed by a second dimming curve. However, the only difference between the first dimming curve and the second dimming curve is the decrease of the luminance value, whereby the second dimming curve has a lower luminance value than the first dimming curve.

The color temperature as a function of the luminance at regular periodic timing intervals follows each of a first dimming curve, a second dimming curve, a third dimming curve, etc. associated with the first group of lighting devices. Those color temperatures increase from sunrise to about midday and thereafter decrease to sunset. If a chart is drawn on the graph, the dimming curve will be the dimming curve that appears on the GUI 80 shown in fig. 13, and shown in more detail in fig. 6. There may be a number of dimming curves that are plotted and stored as a plurality of tables in the first group of lighting devices.

The flowchart set forth in the software instructions of fig. 16 is repeated not only to form multiple dimming curves within the same first group of luminaires, but also for a second group of luminaires, followed by a third group of luminaires, and so on, until all groups of luminaires in the overall structure receive the plotted dimming curve. Thus, repetition of the program instructions set forth in fig. 16 causes drawing of individual dimming curves in the second group of lighting devices, different dimming curve drawing in the second group may be the same or different than the first group, and so on. Each group of the plurality of lighting devices within the structure may be different from each other, wherein preferably a unique dimming curve is associated with the corresponding group of lighting devices, such that a natural display is controlled along one dimming curve of one group of lighting devices, which natural display is different from a natural display along, for example, another dimming curve within another group of lighting devices. In this way, for example, the natural display selected for the bedroom may be different from the natural display selected in the kitchen. In bedrooms and kitchens, not only the dimming curve (i.e. the color temperature as a function of the brightness) may be different, but also the time when the timer timeout occurs may be changed to set different scenes. Thus, the color temperature as a function of brightness and the timer timeout interval may be different from one group of lighting devices to another, wherein the corresponding drawing of the table of color temperatures as a function of brightness and time of day may be different from one room to another. Thus, fig. 16 illustrates a general process by which software can be used to command the formation of dimming curves and different corresponding natural displays for different groups of lighting devices within a structure. The rendering or table stored in the storage medium of one set of luminaires may be completely different from the stored rendering within another set of luminaires in order to control the natural display in one room differently from the natural display of another room, as the dimming curves and scene change time intervals of each room may be different.

Turning now to fig. 17, a flow chart is shown illustrating the programming of preset scene luminance values, increasing the luminance of an area within a scene to a preset scene of luminance values, and decreasing the luminance of a lighting device within the scene, within the area of the scene, or increasing/decreasing the color temperature of the lighting device within the scene. In particular, fig. 17 illustrates the initial assignment of keypad buttons 100. The initial assignment of buttons may be similar to the example depicted in fig. 15 of keypad 55. The preset scene is started by first pressing the ON + or OFF-button of the first plurality of buttons 100 to adjust the brightness and color temperature of the one or more areas suitable for the lighting device, as shown in block 112. Specifically, using the example of FIG. 15, the user will press and maintain an ON+ or OFF-button within the first portion of the keypad 55. Depending on the amount of time the button is pressed and maintained, the brightness of the first zone (Z1) will be adjusted up or down. Beginning to press the appropriate button at block 112 assumes that the display button 103 is not pressed and thus the natural display is not enabled. Accordingly, the preset scene is executed in a state where the display is turned off. Next, in block 114, the second portion of the keypad 55 has a fifth plurality of buttons 105 and the brightness of zone 2 (Z2) increases when the first button (on+) of the pair of buttons 105 is pressed and maintained. On the other hand, if the second button (OFF-) of the button pair 105 is pressed and maintained, the brightness of the region 2 (Z2) decreases. Next, in block 116, the color temperature of the region may be increased or decreased by pressing and maintaining the appropriate button (cct+/-) of the fourth plurality of buttons 104. If cct+ is pressed, the color temperature of the scene will increase, and if CCT-, the color temperature of the scene will decrease.

Once the luminance value in either the first region or the second region increases or decreases to an appropriate level and the color temperature of both regions forming the scene is adjusted to an appropriate level, as mentioned in blocks 112, 114 and 116, both buttons of the second plurality of buttons 102 are pressed simultaneously in block 118. Two buttons of the second plurality of buttons 102, and specifically ALL ON + and ALL OFF-buttons, are pressed, and then the brightness and color temperature of each region and the entire scene may be preset at block 120. While pressing must occur for at least three seconds in order to preset the scene to any level established by blocks 112-116.

The process set forth in blocks 112-120 may be repeated for other areas and scenes in the overall structure to preset the brightness and/or color temperature of the corresponding areas and scenes in the overall house. However, presetting the scene to a particular brightness and color temperature assumes that the display is not enabled, and thus button 103 has not been pressed. The light next to the button 103 indicating the display to be turned on is turned off. Once the display is disabled for a group of luminaires controlled by a particular keypad, the luminaires can be preset by pressing the appropriate buttons of the keypad controlling those luminaires, and thus the brightness and/or color temperature of the luminaires is preset to a particular level, and the process repeated for the other groups of luminaires in the overall structure.

With the field Jing Zhaoming output preset, whether only one or multiple groups of lighting devices in the overall structure, as indicated by block 122, the display must remain disabled and any subsequent pressing of the ALL on+ button increases the brightness of the scene to the scene preset value, as indicated by blocks 124 and 126. The scene preset values may include the brightness and/or color temperature of the scene established by blocks 112-116.

At any time the display is disabled 122, the ALL OFF-button 102 may be pressed, as shown by block 128, and the corresponding brightness of the scene will decrease 130. Also, any pressing and maintaining of the color temperature button (either CCT+ or CCT-) in block 132 will increase or decrease the color temperature 134 of the scene. The zones may also be controlled separately and if the display is disabled 122, the brightness 138 of either zone 1 or zone 2 may be increased or decreased by pressing and maintaining the appropriate button (shown by block 136) within the first plurality of buttons 100 or the fifth plurality of buttons 105 to increase or decrease the brightness of the corresponding zone.

The box shown in fig. 7 describing the button press indicates that the button is pressed and maintained, and the brightness or color temperature will increase or decrease more or less, respectively, based on the length of time the button is maintained. However, if the button is pressed twice in succession, wherein the button is released during the transition, the brightness of one or both areas of the lighting device will be turned on or off, depending on which button is pressed. The button must be pressed twice in a window of less than three seconds, with full release during the transition. For example, if the OFF-button of the fifth plurality of buttons 105 is pressed 140 twice, then the zone 2 lighting device will be turned OFF. Also, if the OFF-button on the first portion of the first plurality of buttons 100 is pressed twice, the lighting devices in zone 1 will be turned OFF. However, if ALL OFF-is pressed twice 142, then the lighting devices for both region 1 and region 2 will be turned OFF. Depending on which button is pressed twice in approximately three seconds, the selective switching off of zone 1 or zone 2 or both zones ends in the box shown as box number 144.

Turning now to fig. 18, a flow chart is provided that illustrates initiating a natural display among an area or set of areas that form a scene. Fig. 18 also illustrates temporary, permanent, or permanent modifications of the natural display. Starting with the natural display 150 enabled by pressing the button 103 shown in fig. 15, the indicator light is preferably illuminated beside that button or as the button itself. The indicator light indicates that the display has been enabled, allowing activation of the display or override of the display. Activation of the display is dependent on the time of day and on which button is pressed, activating the display of one or more areas. For example, if the ALL ON+ button is pressed 152 twice, then a scene comprising two regions is activated and the brightness and color temperature of the scene is initiated depending ON the time of day when the button is pressed twice. Then, based on the time of day the button was pressed, the current scene is displayed at start 154.

Alternatively, by pressing the on+ button twice 156, the brightness and color temperature values may be set for only one of the multiple areas of the lighting device within the scene. Then, in particular for either the first area or the second area depending ON whether the on+ button 100 or the on+ button 105 is pressed, the display will start to be defined automatically in the fixed scene of the display depending ON the time of day. The display will begin for the current scene, and specifically for a particular region, as shown by block 158.

It may be desirable to modify or override the display temporarily, permanently or permanently. For example, if the ALL ON+ button 102 is pressed and maintained, but not pressed twice, as shown in block 160, then the brightness of the scene at the time of day, the color temperature at the time of day, or both, are increased to the brightness and color temperature values set for the scene at the particular time of day, and a value is reached that depends ON how long the ALL ON+ button was pressed, as shown in blocks 162 and 164. Since the ALL ON+ button is not pressed twice, but is only pressed and maintained, the amount by which the button is maintained will determine the amount by which the brightness of the scene at the particular time of the day in which the button is pressed will increase, as will the color temperature, which depends ON the amount of time the CCTS+ button 104 is pressed. Conversely, the color temperature may be reduced depending on the amount of time in which the CCTS button is maintained, thereby reducing the color temperature in proportion to the amount of time. The flows 160, 162, and 164 illustrate overriding the display by not activating the display but rather increasing or possibly decreasing the brightness and color temperature of the particular scene at the particular time within the display. For example, the user may wish to decrease the brightness of the kitchen during noon by pressing ALL OFF-at 11:00 am to decrease the brightness in the kitchen, and thus change the scene that would normally occur at 11:00 am. Furthermore, the user may wish to reduce the color temperature to a greater extent beyond the normally present natural white color temperature incandescent warm white by pressing the CCTS-button at 11:00 a.m. Conversely, by pressing and maintaining ALL on+ for a certain amount of time, the luminance as well as the color temperature of the kitchen scene may also be increased by simply pressing ALL on+ and thus increasing the luminance, e.g. at 7:00 a.m. from a lower dimming curve value to a higher dimming curve value and thus also increasing the color temperature from, e.g. 2300K to 3000K. Thus, block 160 may relate to pressing the ALL on+ or ALL OFF-button to increase or decrease the brightness of the current scene at a particular time of the day, and to override the display, and to maintain the override until, for example, the ALL ON button 102 is pressed twice 166 to then resume the display 168. If the natural display was previously enabled, then the flow beginning at block 160 and ending at block 168 indicates a temporary override of the natural display. When ALL ON +/-is pressed and maintained, the brightness of the first region or two regions (two regions within the scene) ramps up or down. If ALLON+ is pressed and maintained, the ramp up will last for a specified time of the day until the natural display brightness is reached. Subsequently, the ALL ON button will operate as if the natural display was turned off to override the display. The display will not resume until the ALLON+ button is pressed twice thereafter. However, in the transition, a temporary override occurs, and the override may allow for manual control of both the brightness and/or color temperature to reach the natural display brightness and color temperature at the time of the day, or to drop to zero.

The control of multiple regions of the scene and the temporary overrides of the display set forth in flows 160-168 are replicated in blocks 170-178. Specifically, the only difference between blocks 160-168 and blocks 170-178 is the control of one zone, rather than potentially multiple zones. Blocks 170-178 relate to control of a single zone, whether that control is to zone 1 or zone 2. In contrast to the ALL ON +/-buttons, there may also be ON +/-buttons, and either the first region or the second region may experience a temporary override depending ON whether the button being pressed and maintained is a button ON the first portion or the second portion. If the ON+ button is pressed and maintained, then the amount of time in which the button is maintained in block 170 will indicate that the amount of increase in brightness of the particular region (whether the first region or the second region) is increased for the current scene within the display. The amount of increase will extend up to the brightness of the display at the particular time of the day in which the button was pressed and maintained. Instead, the ON-button may be pressed and maintained to decrease the brightness of the current scene within the display, and to maintain the override, and to temporarily maintain the override until the button is pressed twice again 176. The color temperature of a particular region depends ON which button is pressed, either the button of the first region or the button of the second region, to increase or decrease the color temperature again 174 until the ON + button is pressed twice and the display resumes, at blocks 176 and 178. Just like the scene temporal overrides in flows 160-168, the area overrides within the particular scene at the particular time of day exist at blocks 170-178 until the display is restored and the amount or change in the override of the brightness and/or color temperature depends ON the amount of time in which the ON +/-or CCT +/-button is pressed. Until the ALL on+ or on+ button is pressed twice, the brightness increase/decrease and color temperature increase/decrease buttons will operate as if the natural display was not turned ON. That is, until ALL on+ or on+ button is pressed twice. The override of the current scene of multiple regions or simply a single region occurs either temporarily until the ALL ON + or ON + button is pressed twice. However, if the ALL ON+ or ON+ button is not pressed within the timeout period, the change in the current scene will automatically resume display once the timeout has expired. Thus, fig. 18 shows a temporary change in the current scene in blocks 166, 168, 176 and 178, and blocks 180 and 182 show a change in the current scene that will persist until the timeout has expired. Thus, if either the ALL ON+ or ON+ buttons have not been pressed twice within a timeout, the change in the current scene will resume display once the timeout has expired. Thus, fig. 18 illustrates a temporary or permanent change of the current scene for a particular time of day, and possibly a subsequent scene within the display until expiration of a timeout, or the display is restored manually by pressing the ALL on+ or on+ button twice.

In addition to temporary or permanent changes in the current scene, fig. 18 illustrates permanent changes to the current scene and possibly to other scenes that are all to multiple regions or that follow the current scene on a region-by-region basis. The permanent change begins by pressing the display for a predetermined amount of time, preferably greater than three seconds. Depending ON whether the ALL ON+ or ON+ button was previously pressed and maintained, and thus whether the scene of multiple regions or regions within the scene have increasing or decreasing luminance and/or color temperature values, as illustrated by blocks 162 and 164 associated with the scene and blocks 172 and 174 applicable to the region, or a permanent corresponding override occurs at block 186 or at block 188.

Although the timeout period for the permanent change may be several minutes to several hours, preferably the predetermined time in which the display button 103 is pressed is preferably less than 10 seconds but more than three seconds. By pressing the display button 103 for less than 10 seconds, whatever brightness in the color temperature value of a scene or a specific area within the scene of the lighting device is fixed into the memory of the corresponding lighting device, depending ON when ALL on+ or on+ button is pressed and maintained, and thereafter pressing the display button for a predetermined time. All current scenes in the transition time range are permanently changed. Alternatively, only the scene closest to the time of day in which the display button 103 is pressed and maintained is changed. The scene is the current scene within the display. Also, the current scene within the display is changed to a new luminance value and/or color temperature value established by the amount of time in which ALL ON, CCT +/-buttons are pressed.

The current scene change is permanently recorded into the storage medium 56 as the corresponding lighting device, as shown in blocks 190 and 192. Thus, the current scene is permanently changed such that the scene at a particular time of the day that has undergone a permanent change is displayed whenever it is thereafter activated such that the display at that time of the day thereafter always shows a permanently changed brightness in the color temperature value for that time of the day. For example, if the display button 103 is pressed for a predetermined amount of time at 11 am, any brightness and color temperature values that have been changed before and during that time will be recorded. The next day at 11 am, the previous display will now be changed to display the new scene at 11 am. Not the old scene, which employs the brightness and color temperature values established in one or more areas of the lighting device at blocks 160-164 and 170-174. The new scene will now play at the time of the day of the following day until possibly permanently changed again. Other scenes before and after will be adjusted to provide smooth changes in color temperature and brightness over the course of a day. For example, if at 8 pm the color temperature decreases from 2500 to 2200, then the color temperature of all scenes in the display from sunset to midnight will thus decrease. The color temperature during the morning, midnight and midnight may remain unchanged. Fig. 19 and 20 also illustrate smoothing functions that occur whenever a permanent change is made to a scene within the display, according to one embodiment. In particular, FIG. 19 is a continuation of blocks 190 and 192 of FIG. 18.

Turning now to fig. 19, a flow chart of changes to luminance and/or color temperature among the first N scenes and the subsequent N scenes is illustrated to provide smoothing of any modifications to the luminance and/or color temperature of the current scene of the lighting device. The change in the current scene may be quite large and if the previous and subsequent scene lighting outputs remain unchanged, a visually perceivable and abrupt display will occur, which may be undesirable to the viewer. In order to provide smoothing of the previous N scenes and the subsequent N scenes to the changed current scene, the previous and subsequent scenes must be changed so that there is no abrupt visual and disjoint change in color temperature or brightness when the updated and current scenes are permanently placed into the natural display. In other words, if a permanent change to luminance occurs at 11:00 a.m. and the current scene luminance is significantly lower than the existing naturally displayed dimming curve at 11:00 a.m., then it is possible that N (preferably less than 3) luminance values for the scene preceding the current scene and N luminance values for the scene of the same plurality of lighting devices are changed after the 11-point current scene. The previous N scenes with their brightness and color temperature changed are shown in block 200 and the subsequent N scenes for the same lighting device's brightness and color temperature change are shown in block 202.

The number N before and after determining the current changed scene is predetermined, and preferably three or less. Thus, if the current scene changed is 11:00 am, if there are scenes 7:00 am and 9:30 am before the current scene, then those two scenes will also be changed such that the resulting dimming curve to the current scene change is not disjoint, as shown in fig. 20, and specifically graph 204. Subsequently, the N scenes after 11:00 am may include two or more scenes as shown. However, as shown in graph 206, only two subsequent scenes are changed at noon and 2:00 pm. Although N may include 2, graphs 204 and 206 potentially illustrate more than two scenes, depending on how far apart each scene is plotted in time along the dimming curve. For example, if a scene is drawn every 15 minutes, then N may comprise much greater than 3, and may be as much as 20. Regardless of the value of N, it is important to note that not all scenes within a 24 hour period must be changed to provide smoothing. In contrast, if the permanently changed scene is 11 am, then only the scene after sunrise and up to 11 am and then after 11 am to half afternoon (mid-afternoon) need be changed. Since adequate smoothing may occur in a limited number of changed scenes before and after the current changed scene, there is no need to change scenes after half afternoon and before sunrise. Thus, in the above example, the color temperature will remain unchanged, which is a function of the brightness before sunrise and after half afternoon.

As mentioned in fig. 6-8 and fig. 13, when creating multiple scenes for the same group of luminaires to form a first dimming curve, the process is repeated using, for example, a GUI and object-oriented programming to form multiple natural displays and corresponding dimming curves for the same group of luminaires. Thus, for example, there may be multiple natural displays drawn into a table and stored within each luminaire in a group of luminaires. This process is repeated as multiple natural displays and corresponding dimming curves are drawn into other groups of lighting devices. Thus, the bedroom may have an entirely different dimming curve and natural display that is drawn in the lighting of the bedroom instead of the lighting of the kitchen. The dimming curve of the color temperature as a function of the luminance is different for each dimming curve, regardless of the lighting device containing the plotted table of dimming curves. Therefore, it is necessary to draw a plurality of dimming curves each having a plurality of scenes into the same group of lighting devices in order to differently control color temperatures based on a change in brightness. The amount of change may depend on the color temperature at full brightness.

When a scene is permanently changed as shown in blocks 190 and 192 in fig. 18, previous and subsequent N scenes and the corresponding color temperatures as a function of brightness are determined for those previous and subsequent N scenes depending on whether the currently changed scene is within a predefined distance of a point on another dimming curve. For example, if the permanent change of the current scene is a change in which the brightness has been reduced, then the corresponding color temperature of the current scene will no longer be on, for example, the first dimming curve 208. Conversely, a current scene change caused by a decrease in brightness will result in a color temperature (CCT) that is less than the color temperature along dimming curve 208. For example, if the changed or new color temperature for the updated and changed current scene is within a predefined distance of a point on the second dimming curve 210 (shown in dashed lines), then the scenes before and after the current scene are recalled or fetched from the second dimming curve 210 stored in the storage medium 56 of the controlled lighting device set.

Only a portion of the second dimming curve 210 is fetched from each of the group of controlled luminaires and includes N scenes preceding and N scenes following the changed scene to provide a smooth and non-disjoint second natural display with the scenes immediately preceding and following the current scene on the second dimming curve, but maintaining all scenes along the first dimming curve 208 before the previous N scenes and after the subsequent N scenes.

According to one embodiment, the predefined distance of the points on the second dimming curve (as shown at 212) is preferably less than 5% of the color temperature of the scene on the second dimming curve for the current scene at a specific time of day. For example, if the time of day is 11:00 am and the current scene change changes from the first dimming curve 208 to the dimming curve 210, then the new current scene may not have a color temperature precisely on the second dimming curve, the first dimming curve 208 having a higher color temperature as a function of brightness, the dimming curve 210 having a lower color temperature as a function of brightness. Alternatively, the current scene color temperature as a function of brightness may be within a predefined distance 212 of the second dimming curve 210. If the predefined distance is less than 5% of the color temperature of the scene on the second dimming curve of 11:00 am, then the current scene and all the previous and subsequent N scenes are anyway placed on the second dimming curve. For example, if the color temperature along the second dimming curve for the current scene of the first dimming curve is 4000K at 11:00 a.m. and the color temperature of the second dimming curve at 11:00 a.m. is 3800K, the current scene and the preceding and following N scenes will be placed on the second dimming curve if the current scene change reduces the luminance and/or the color temperature to a color temperature within 5% of the color temperature of the scene at 11:00 a.m. or 5% = 190K of 3800K. Thus, the predefined distance is less than 5%, or absolute value is less than 190K, and more preferably less than 2%, or approximately 70K. As shown in fig. 20, the value of the predefined distance 212 is thus 5% of the color temperature along the second dimming curve at a specific time of day for the permanently changed current scene. Since the first dimming curve and the second dimming curve have been drawn into a table placed in the corresponding lighting device, any permanent change to a particular scene simply results in the selective fetching of the current and previous and subsequent scenes along the second dimming curve if the change is made such that the predefined color temperature distance is sufficiently close to the second dimming curve. The predefined distance may also be measured in terms of brightness. If the current scene change involves a change in brightness that is relatively close to the brightness of the second dimming curve, then the current scene will be placed on the second dimming curve along with the previous N scenes and the next N scenes. The predefined brightness may also be 5% or less.

While different groups of lighting devices within the structure have different dimming curves and different natural displays, global overrides of all or multiple groups of lighting devices may occur through the use of a single global keypad, such as keypad 57 shown in fig. 10. Preferably, the global keypad 57 comprises a single keypad controlling the entire structure and in particular groups of lighting devices arranged in the entire structure. Also, preferably, the global keypad may be disposed near the entrance door, or may be near the master bedroom.

The global keypad includes at least one of a plurality of buttons and the button preferably includes a leave button. The away button is used to activate the sensor to detect movement of the structure and to automatically periodically sequentially turn on and off selected ones of the groups of lighting devices throughout the structure in response to the movement. Automatic, periodic, successive turning on and off is referred to herein as emergency display (panic show). Thus, whenever, for example, a sensor detects an intruder within the structure or within the perimeter of the structure, the emergency display will override the various natural displays that may occur in different groups of lighting devices.

Thus, a button on the global keypad 57 may activate a departure mode for detecting movement, or alternatively, when not activated, the button may enable a natural display. Thus, depending on the state of the button on the global keypad, a natural display occurs that automatically and periodically changes the color temperature as a function of brightness at different times of the day along the selected dimming curve before enabling the emergency display when an intruder is detected. Thus, in the away mode, the natural display may continue, and when an intruder is detected, the natural display automatically changes to an emergency display. Activating the away mode to enable the natural display prior to sensing the intruder may occur through a single press on a button and a light on the global keypad would indicate that the away mode is enabled. Alternatively, when an intruder is detected, the button may enable a static scene from a selected one of the groups of luminaires before enabling the emergency display. Thus, before an intruder is detected, the button may be illuminated to indicate the exit mode and to maintain the same brightness in the color temperature of a selected one of the groups of luminaires before the intruder is sensed and to enable the emergency display once the intruder is detected. According to alternative embodiments, the emergency display may comprise automatically, time sequentially turning on and off selected ones of the groups of luminaires throughout the structure and outside the structure, or simply initiating a change in color of the selected ones of the groups of luminaires.

Those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will recognize that the present invention is believed to provide an improved lighting system and method that not only allows the dimming curves of each of the multiple groups of lighting devices to be plotted into the corresponding lighting device, but also uses those plotted dimming curves to allow any and all natural displays in the overall structure to be modified when an intruder is detected. A remote control with a graphical user interface provides convenience in the drawing of a dimming curve table, and multiple keypads assigned to a group of lighting devices allow easy temporary and permanent changes as well as permanent changes to the various scenes that form a natural display along the dimming curve. Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. It is therefore intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such modifications and changes.

Claims

1. A system for creating a naturally displayed dimming curve rendering among a plurality of lighting scenes, comprising:

a plurality of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting devices arranged in the entire structure;

a remote control having a graphical user interface, GUI, adapted to create a first scene and a second scene of the plurality of lighting scenes that are specifically applied to a first group of lighting devices of the plurality of lighting devices;

Wherein the GUI is adapted to assign a first color temperature as a first function of brightness to the first group of the plurality of lighting devices to form the first scene at a first time of day;

wherein the GUI is adapted to assign a second color temperature as the first function of brightness to the first group of the plurality of lighting devices to form the second scene at a second time of day different from the first time of day; and

a storage medium within each of the first group of lighting devices of the plurality of lighting devices is configured to store the first color temperature and the second color temperature as the first function of luminance for respective first and second scenes to form at least a portion of a first naturally displayed dimming curve rendering.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the GUI is adapted to create a third scene and a fourth scene of the plurality of lighting scenes that are specifically applied to the first group of lighting devices of the plurality of lighting devices;

wherein the GUI is adapted to assign a third color temperature as a second function of brightness to the first group of the plurality of lighting devices to form the third scene at a first time of the day;

Wherein the GUI is adapted to assign a fourth color temperature as the second function of brightness to the first group of the plurality of lighting devices to form the fourth scene at a second time of day; and

wherein the storage medium within each of the first group of lighting devices of the plurality of lighting devices is configured to store the third color temperature and the fourth color temperature as the second function of luminance for respective third and fourth scenes to form at least a portion of a second naturally displayed second dimming curve rendering.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second function of luminance is different from the first function of luminance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second color temperature is greater than the first color temperature if the second time of day is closer to a local midday time than the first time of day.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein if the second time of day is closer to a local midday time than the first time of day, then a difference between the first color temperature and the third color temperature is greater than a difference between the second color temperature and the fourth color temperature.

6. A method for generating a first natural display associated with a first dimming curve and thereafter changing the first natural display to a smooth and non-disjoint second natural display associated with a second dimming curve, comprising:

first retrieving a first dimming curve comprising a first series of scenes assigned to at least one light emitting diode, LED, lighting device group, each scene of the first series of scenes comprising a color temperature as a first function of luminance;

assigning the first series of scenes apart by a time interval distance throughout the day to form the first natural display associated with the first dimming curve of color temperature that increases from sunrise to noon and decreases from noon to sunset; and

changing the brightness or color temperature of one of the first series of scenes at a particular time of day between sunrise and sunset;

if the changed brightness or color temperature of one of the first series of scenes is within a predefined distance of a point on the second dimming curve, then secondarily retrieving at least a portion of the second dimming curve, the at least a portion including a second series of N scenes before the changed scene and N scenes after the changed scene, to provide a smooth and non-disjoint second natural display.